Together: Memories
by Potrix
Summary: A person from Jack's past returns unexpectedly. But who is she, why did she come back now and where has she been in the first place? And, most importantly, will she have the answers Jack has been looking for all these years? And will she be able to get Jack to admit his feelings for Ianto? Including: John Hart, The Doctor, new characters. Main Pairing Jack/Ianto
1. The Returning

**A/N: **Hello everyone! This is the first time I'm publishing one of my stories, so please be gentle. Criticism is always welcome, though. Especially concerning grammar, since English isn't my first language.

Anyway, this story is set after the finale of season 2, only with slight changes. Owen and Tosh didn't die and John wasn't the bad guy. Well, not entirely. It is set in a slightly AU, you'll see why in future chapters. Ok, well, I hope you like it, enjoy!

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**Chapter Summary:** Someone from Jack's past returns, much to the shock of his team.

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**Warnings:** flirting, swearing, violence, some mild gore

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**Chapter One - The Returning**

"You could always stay here, you know? Help us out, kind of like a freelancer?! The pay isn't too bad either."

Somewhere behind him he heard Gwen, clearing her throat.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Gwen?" he asked with a sigh. He really wasn't in the mood for one of their arguments right now, not after the day they all just had. But he got the nagging feeling that he wouldn't get around it this time.

"Jack, are you sure about this? I don't think this is a wise idea, he almost got Tosh and Owen killed and you had to spend the last 2000 or so years buried beneath Cardiff because of him. And you remember what happened the first time he turned up, don't you? He killed you in cold blood, Jack, how can you trust him not to do it again? Or, even worse, what if he kills one of us, who don't magically come back to life? He betrayed you, why would you even consider letting him stay and join Torchwood? He's a risk, not only to you and us, but the whole of Cardiff, heck, the whole damn planet!"

Yep, he definitely wasn't getting out of this one. He was about to reply, what with he didn't really know, when Toshiko spoke up. "Gwen, I don't think you're being fair here. He did take out Gray when he tried to shoot me." she pointed out.

"And he helped me out with the nuclear reactor. Without his Vortex Manipulator I wouldn't have gotten out in time and, believe me, I don't fancy slowly rotting away in nuclear waste, thank you very much. Don't get me wrong here, he is an arrogant son of a bitch and doesn't look half as good as he thinks he does, but he did save my arse back there." Owen added.

"Tosh, I know you have a kind heart and a forgiving nature, but Owen, I thought you of all people would see through his charade. If it wasn't for him, none of this would have happened in the first place. He was the one who helped Gray, he was the one who blew up half of the city and just stood there and watched when Jack got buried alive. And don't give me that_ 'He didn't have a choice.'_ crap, there's always a choice! He doesn't care about any of us, not even you, Jack. The only one he cares about is himself. Why can't you guys see that?" Gwen pleaded.

She didn't notice Jack growing angrier with every word of her speech and was positively startled when he started yelling at her. "Gwen, just stop. I know you mean well, but this time, you're just wrong."

Her eyes grew wide and it took her a few seconds before she found her voice to reply. "Jack, he killed you and-"

"And _nothing_, Gwen! I'm tired of arguing with you, I know John and what happened on that roof was an accident. And, more importantly, I am your boss and if I ask someone to join our team, it is my decision and mine alone. You don't get to question every single decision I make, do you understand?"

She opened her mouth, intending to remind him that she was his second in command and that she was only worried for her friends, but the furious look in his eyes made her change her mind and nod in acceptance.

"Well then, if you two are finished yelling at each other," Ianto dropped in "why don't we hear what John has to say about this? We are talking about him and he is standing right here, after all."

A bit embarrassed, they all turned to face the Captain, who was leaning against the cog door, a satisfied smile on his lips. "Oh, come on, eye-candy, don't be a spoilsport, I love it when people fight over me." Ianto rolled his eyes. "You know, it's kind of cute when you do that."

"And I already regret saying anything. Who wants a cup of coffee?" Ianto asked and made his way to the small kitchen.

John chuckled and, very obviously, checked out Ianto's backside while he walked away.

"John..." Jack warned.

"What? Can't a man flirt a little? Or are you jealous that I might steal him away from you?" he teased.

"Just give us an answer, John. I'm knackered and the last thing I want right now is to play one of your silly games. Please?"

"Fine, Jack." John sighed. "But you know damn well that I can't stay. First of all, this planet only gets interesting in about 200 years, after the Vloon open their first night club in Vegas and-"

"Vloon?" Owen interrupted.

"The Vloon from the planet of Vlaane. Nice people, know how to mix a drink. I was challanged to a drinking competition by a Vloon once. We started out in the Vegas Galaxy and the next thing I remember is waking up in 1970s London four days later with a hell of a headache and married to said Vloon. He was a nice enough guy, but I wasn't really ready to settle down so-"

"JOHN!" Jack exclaimed.

"Hell, calm down Jackie. Where was I? Ah yes, I can't stay. Apart from the missing Vloon, I have a date with a bounty hunter. And no, he's not after me, I haven't done anything...well, nothing that he knows of anyway. But he's the number one guy when it comes to finding people." His face suddenly turned sad. "I have to find her, Jack. It's been years and-"

To everyone's but Jack's surprise, his voice broke and he turned away from them. Without hesitation, Jack closed the gap between them and hugged John tightly to his chest. "I know, John. I miss her too."

They stood there, in the middle of the hub, holding each other, while the rest of the team watched in confusion. It was Tosh who finally broke the awkward silence. "John, have you activated your Vortex Manipulator? I'm getting very strange readings here. You know that you can't teleport directly out of the hub, don't you?"

John let go of Jack and looked at his wrist strap. "No, I didn't do anything."

"Yeah right." Gwen snorted.

"No, wait. He's telling the truth, it's not the same signature as the one he uses. And whatever it is, it's not trying to leave, it's coming right here."

"Don't be daft, Tosh, nothing can teleport into the hub, it's impossible." Owen pointed out.

"Thank you, Owen, I know that. Doesn't change the fact that it's happening, though."

All eyes turned to Jack, who was looking just as bewildered as the rest of them. And before he had the chance to give any instructions, a flashy light appeared next to Tosh's desk and two shadows started to form in it. Six guns were lifted simultaneously and pointed at the unknown appearance.

"What the hell is that?" Gwen shrieked.

"It...it looks like people." Tosh noticed.

A few seconds later, the light had vanished and two people were standing there. They didn't seem to be aware of their surroundings and, Owen observed, they looked like hell. Both of them were covered in cuts and bruises and no small amount of blood. The middle-aged man was on his knees, glowering at the younger woman who was standing over him, a firm grip on his arm.

"Don't think that this is over, little girl!" he spat and started coughing. "You can't win, not now, not ever. You are worthless and so was your weakling of a frer'im!"

The woman dropped his arm, glaring at him and before anyone had the chance to react, she had produced a sword and the man's head was rolling down into the little basin at the bottom of the water tower. Tosh screamed in horror and Gwen stumbled backwards. Owen and Ianto just stood there, their weapons pointed at the woman, not sure what to do. Jack looked like he'd seen a ghost and stared at the scene in front of him. The only one who didn't seem to be bothered by what had happened was John, who lowered his gun and took a few steps in the woman's direction. "Ria...it's _you_!"

At that, the woman turned around and seemed to notice them standing there for the first time. She looked from the team to Jack and finally to John who, oddly enough, looked like he was about to explode with joy. At first, she didn't appear to realise where she was, but then she spotted the water tower and her eyes grew wide. Her head snapped up and she looked at Jack in horror. She slowly turned her head in John's direction, keeping her sword ready in both hands.

John's smile vanished and he took another step towards her. "Ria, come on, it's fine."

Finally, she lowered her weapon and let it fall to the ground. She looked back at Jack, their eyes met and the look of horror left her face, only to be replaced by one of pain. She stared down at her stomach and six pairs of eyes followed and spotted the open wound gaping just over her exposed naval. She looked up again, her face white as a sheet. "Jack! John! I'm-" she began, but never got to finish her sentence. She fell to her knees, hands clasped to the bleeding wound.

"_Ria!_" Jack, who seemed to have come out of his shocked state, screamed and leaped forward just in time to catch her before her unconcious body hit the floor. "Owen, get over here, now!" he yelled and the medic complied, kneeling next to them and starting to peel away the remaining fabrics of her bloody shirt. They were joined by John, who looked like he was close to tears and started brushing the hair out of her face.

"Do something, Harper!" the younger Captain snapped.

A few steps back, Gwen thought she had finally gone mad. "I...I know...her." she said quietly.

Ianto shot her a puzzled look. "So do I."

"And me." Tosh choked out.

"Well, you're not the only ones, guys." Owen said while ripping open a package of gauze and pressing it to the woman's wound. "We have to get her to the med bay _immediately_." he told Jack and John. Together, the three of them carefully lifted her up and disappeared down the stairs, leaving a more than confused Gwen, Tosh and Ianto behind in the main area.

"You know, I'm used to a lot around here," Gwen finally said "but what the _bloody_ hell just happened and who is that?"


	2. Drinks With Ianto

**Chapter Summary: **Ianto meets the mystery woman.

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**Warnings:** a little swearing and a bit of flirting / snogging

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**Chapter Two - Drinks Wih Ianto **

_A few months earlier..._

He sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. "Whisky, neat. Make it double." That ought to do the trick. Well, after four or five more glasses, that is. He turned around on his stool and looked around the club. It was packed and he already started to regret coming here in the first place. His eyes wandered over to the dance floor. Nope, he would need a lot more than whisky to get up there. He emptied his glass and ordered another one. One of the dancing blokes had spotted him and flashed him a toothy smile. Ianto blushed and turned back to his drink.

"Why don't you go dance with him, he seems to like you?! Well, by like I mean he thinks you're hot. And by that I mean he probably wants to shag. But hey, he's cute, isn't he, so why not?"

Slighty startled, Ianto looked at the woman. He hadn't noticed her sitting next to him. Actually, he was pretty sure that he'd been alone at the bar only a few seconds ago.

She tilted her head, waving her hand in front of his face. "Hello? Anybody home?"

She was gorgeous, he noted. Her light auburn hair was almost hip-lenght and something about her face seemed very familiar. "I'm not gay." he finally answered.

"Says the man in the gay night club." she giggled.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but I'm not interested, so just leave me alone." he said, maybe a bit harsher than neceassary, picked up his drink and went over to one of the booths.

{oOo}

_Two hours and 4 glasses of whisky later..._

Slightly tipsy, no, _very tipsy_, Ianto sat in his booth and wondered how it had come to this. Not even two years ago he had been in a happy relationship with the woman of his dreams, making marriage plans, looking at houses and being truly happy with life. Now he was alone, shagging his boss and questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. He didn't like men, did he? Ok, there was this one time he had fooled around with one of his buddies in college, but they were young and drunk. That didn't count. No, he definitely didn't like men and that's why he was here, to prove it to himself. He took a sip from his glass, realised it was empty and waved to the waiter to bring him a new one. But if he didn't like men, what was his excuse for shagging Jack? Last time he'd checked, which had been this very morning, down in the archives of Torchwood, Jack had most definitely been a man. And Ianto most definitely liked shagging Jack. Not to mention the warm feeling he always got when Jack kissed him, hugged him or just accidentally touched him. No, he was being stupid. He was definiely _not_ in love with Jack. His new drink arrived and he downed it with one big gulp.

"You might want to slow down, you don't look so good."

How was she doing this? He hadn't even seen her slipping into the booth and now she was sitting there, a knowing smile on her face, offering him a glass of water.

"Here, thought you could use that." she said and passed the glass over with a wink.

"What do you want?"

"Can't a girl offer a guy a glass of water without having ulteriour motives?"she grinned.

Ianto snorted.

"Fine, be an arse." she said and stood up.

"Wait, I'm sorry. Thanks for the water."

The women plopped back into hear seat, grinning even wider. "Meh, it's all right. So, are you gonna tell me what's up? And don't say it's nothing, you've been moping around for hours, trying to drink yourself into a coma. You didn't even notice all the guys checking you out."

"I already told you, I'm not gay."

"Never said you were."

He looked up at her, puzzled. "What are you suggesting, then?"

"Nothing. Why does everyone around here have to be so binary about everything? You people have a compulsive need to label things, do you know that?" She settled back in her seat, tilted her head - which seemed to be a quirk of hers - and smiled at him.

"What? What do you want?"

She took a sip of her own drink, set it down and folded her arms behind her head. "Tell me about him." she offered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ianto said, growing frustrated. "And I don't even know who you are. Look, thanks again for the water, but I really just want to be alone right now." And with that he went back to the bar.

{oOo}

_Another hour (and a considerable amount of alcohol) later..._

"Mate, seriously, you look wasted."

Ianto almost dropped his glass. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Laughing, she took his hand and pulled him in the direction of one the sofas. "Come on, you look like you're about to faint, let's sit down."

He wanted to protest, but after taking a few steps, he realised that she was right and let her lead him to a bright pink leather couch. He wrinkled his nose at the colour. "Does everything in here have to be so...so...flamboyant?" he asked and slumped down on the offensive piece of furniture. It took him a few minutes to remember that he wasn't alone and when he looked up, sure enough, there she was, smiling at him. "You're kind of creepy, do you know that?"

"And you're kind of drunk, do you know that?"

He grinned. "Touché."

They sat in silence until Ianto suddenly jumped up, knocking over her beer. "What the hell? Relax, mate." she yelled after him, but he was already half way to the toilets. Running into the first empty stall, he had just about enough time to kick the door closed before almost 100 £ worth of booze made its way back up his throat and everything went dark.

The first thing he realised when he started to come back was that he wasn't lying on the floor anymore. Whatever he was lying on, it felt warm and soft and...it moved?! His eyes snapped open. "Jack?"

"You know, you telling me that you don't like men? Doesn't sound very convincing when the first name you shout out after waking up is 'Jack'."

Ianto tried to get up but was firmly held in place.

"Don't. You're just gonna be sick again and I don't fancy you throwing up all over me."

With a sigh of resignation, he let his head fall back into the woman's lap and closed his eyes again.

"You know, they almost threw you out. I had to tell them you were my brother and promise that I'd take care of you. Not a regular drinker, are you?" she chuckled.

"Not really, no." he admitted. He's head was spinning and he knew that he was going to have on hell of a hangover tomorrow. With a groan, he turned to his side to be able to look up at the woman. He was sure that he'd never seen her before, but somehow, she seemed so very familiar. "He asked me out on a date." _Why_ had he just said that?

"Jack?" she asked.

Ianto nodded.

And before he knew it, Ianto was talking about Jack and how confusing this situation was for him. And the woman simply listened, without interrupting, running her fingers through his hair and gently stroking his back. He felt like he'd talked for hours when he finally came to a conclusion. "I don't like men, I really don't. It's just him. It's just Jack."

"You care about him a lot." It wasn't a question.

"I do."

"But since you're here right now and not shagging your Jack, I guess the date didn't go too well?"

His stomach clenched. "He tried to kiss me."

"And he's a bad kisser?" she grinned.

"In public."

"Oh, I see. You're not out?"

He finally managed to sit up. "I don't have to 'come out', I am _not gay_! And I don't want people to think that I am either."

"Why do you care what people think?"

"I...I don't know, I just do, all right?" he snapped.

"Do you think being gay is wrong?"

"Of course not!"

"So, what's the problem?"

He sighed and rested his head on the back of the couch, closing his eyes again. "It's just that I don't know what I am. I've always assumed that I was a regular, straight bloke until I met Jack. And now, now I don't know what to think. I've never felt attracted to another guy before, the idea of being with a man never even crossed my mind. I'm not grossed out by the thought, obviously, but why did it take me so long to figure out that I'm not straight? And why is it so hard to find out exactly _what_ I am?" He felt a hand on his cheek and only then was it that he realised he was crying. "I'm...I'm so sorry." he sobbed and found himself in a comforting hug.

It took him longer than he liked to admit until he managed to calm down, but when he pulled away, he felt better than he had in weeks.

The woman was looking at him, a curious look on her face. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "Why do you need to put a label on whatever you are? Straight, gay, lesbian, bi, omni, trans, queer or whatever, what does it matter? You found someone you like, he seems to like you too, you get to shag during work, from where I'm standing, this looks amazing."

"The shagging during work really isn't all that bad." he chuckled.

"See? Seriously, though. Don't beat yourself up about it. Where I come from, people stopped putting labels on sexuality a long time ago and I think it would be good if you did too. I mean, you're not gonna lose your job if your boss finds out about it, are you now?"

He laughed.

"Exactly. And if you're worried about your family, let me tell you one thing; most people I know came around eventually and accepted their children for whoever and whatever they are. And even if they don't, it's easier to find a new family than hiding your true self. Trying to change who you are, that's gonna destroy you, I can tell you that much."

To his own suprise, Ianto leaned closer to her and planted a sloppy drunk kiss right on her mouth. The woman pulled back, but rested her forehead against his, stroking the back of his head.

"Thank you." he whispered.

"You're welcome. Now, let's get you home, it's terribly late and I'm exhausted." she said, jumping up and pulling him up with her.

"I'm fine, I can get home on my own. Despite the passing out and crying, I'm a grown man, you know?"

"Sure, if the definition of 'good' is being hungover and drunk at the same time, then you're absolutely peachy. Gimme your car keys and let's get going. And don't even think about arguing, you can barely stand on your own."

Sure enough, it took the help of a slightly pissed bouncer to get Ianto to his car.

Five minutes later, they were on the motorway and Ianto felt sick for a whole new reason. "Where did you learn to drive? You're worse than Jack!" he screamed when another car furiously honked at them. "And I don't even know you, you're a complete stranger. I'm letting a complete stranger with no driving skills whatsoever drive the company car and-"

"_Oi!_ Stop insulting me, my driving is just fine. And it's better to let a sober stranger take you home than drive drunk, isn't it?"

She had a point, but he still gripped his seat a little tighter, just in case. They drove in silence for a few minutes, except for Ianto giving instructions where to turn. They soon reached his house and she parked the car in the driveway. Well, more on the sidewalk than in the actual driveway, but Ianto was too tired to care.

"You gonna make it upstairs on your own?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. He opened the door and promptly fell out of the car. "That's one way of answering." she grinned and picked him up. "Come on, up you go." They managed to get to his bedroom without further incidents and Ianto flopped down on his bed, fully clothed. He barely registered her taking off his shoes, putting a blanket over him and a pillow under his head. He was almost asleep when she put a bottle of water and an aspirin on the bedside table and only woke up again when she kissed him on the cheek.

"'nk you..." he murmured into his pillow.

"You're welcome, Yan." she answered with a smile and got up. Just before she reached the door, she heard him clearing his throat and looked back.

"You never told me your name, you know? And...and I never told you mine. How do you know my nickname?"

She flashed him a smile he thought he recognised from somewhere, winked, closed the door and left behind a very drunk and very confused Ianto.

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**A/N: **So, that's how Ianto and Ria met. What do you think? I hope you liked it, please review :3**  
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	3. Interlude I - Help Her!

**Chapter Summary:** Owen is trying to save the woman - John isn't helping.

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**Warnings:** swearing, some violence

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**Interlude I - Help Her! **

"Do something, help her!" John screamed at Owen.

Ria was lying on the autopsy table in the med bay, covered in blood, while Owen examined her.

"I'm trying, but you yelling at me doesn't fucking help!" Owen shot back.

"Boys, calm down, this-" Jack tried to interject, but didn't even get to finish his sentence.

"If she doesn't make it," John threatened "I'm going to rip off your balls, do you understand me, Doctor?"

Owen spun around, looking at John with an disbelieving look on his face. "What the hell is wrong with you, mate?"

"I am not going to lose her again, do you hear me? _Not again_!" he growled.

"Looks like Gwen was wrong." Owen spat. "Who'd have thought that the tough Captain Hart would care so much about some random floosy?!"

It took only a second for Owen to find himself slammed into a wall, a knive on his throat and John glowering at him with a deadly look in his eyes. "Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare!" he whispered, squeezing his hand around Owen's neck, effectively draining him of air he thankfully no longer actually needed.

"You...you...psycho...get...him...off...me...Jack! " Owen choked.

"I should just slit your throat, you-" John began, but was distracted by Ria, suddenly twitching and wincing, almost falling off the table. He was at her side in a heartbeat, trying to hold her down, whispering calming words in a language the doctor didn't understand.

"Get him out of here, Jack." Owen said, rubbing his throat. "I want that madman out of here, _now_!"

"I'm not leaving her!" John stated, not even looking up at Owen, his full attention on the woman on the table.

In the far corner, Jack touched his earpiece, whispering something, before joining John. "Come on." he said calmly, putting a hand on the other Captain's shoulder "Owen knows what he's doing."

"Fuck off, Jack! I'm not going anywhere!" John yelled, brushing off Jack's hand.

All of them, apart from John, turned around when they heard someone coming down the stairs.

"You called, sir?" Ianto asked, a questioning look on his face.

Jack nodded in John's direction, then pointed out of the med bay, into the main area of the hub. "Come on." he said again, gripping John by both shoulders this time and starting to steer him to the stairs.

"Let go off me!" John protested, but Jack grabbed him around the waist and with the help of Ianto, managed to get the kicking and screaming man up the stairs, out of the med bay and into his office.

"Thanks, Ianto. You can leave now, I'll manage. Go check on Tosh and Gwen, will you?" Jack asked. Ianto nodded and left the two men alone.

John tried to follow him back down, only to be held in place by Jack.

"Let go of me, Jack, I'm serious!" he snarled, trying to fight the other man off again, but he only managed to turn around in Jack's arms. He was about to start yelling again, when he saw the tears in the immortal's eyes. And that finally did the trick. He visibly relaxed , pulling Jack closer and hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry, Jack."


	4. Talking Boys With Gwen

**A/N:** Ok, so here's the chapter about how Ria and Gwen met. It is set during the season 1 episode "Combat", but takes a slightly different turn than it does in the actual episode. You'll see why when reading it.

Also, I know a lot of people don't like / absolutely hate Gwen, so let me just say this: I don't. If you were expecting some Gwen-bashing, I'm sorry to disappoint you. She isn't my favourite character either and I will let you guys see that, but not in this chapter ;)

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Summary:** Gwen meets the mystery woman.

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**Warnings: **swearing, mentions of (mild) violence, drugs

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**Chapter Three - Talking Boys With Gwen**

Gwen couldn't believe what she'd just done. Actually, she had a hard time wrapping her head around what she'd been doing for the last couple of months. But the events of that particular afternoon were what had finally snapped her out of her trance. It had felt like being hit in the face. By a train. How could this have happened? She wasn't a bad person, was she? Well, the evidence suggested otherwise, but she had never intended for things to turn out like that. She never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not Rhys. _Rhys_. Oh God, how could she have treated him like that? After all he put up with, she just went and cheated on him. And as if that in itself wasn't bad enough, she didn't even have the courage to tell him about it without drugging him. _Drugging him!_ She had just drugged her boyfriend, the love of her life, the one person that always stood by her side, no matter what. The realisation of the evening's events finally hit her and she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. And so she sat there, on the bay, in the rain, all by herself, crying her heart out.

"Oh, sweetheart, I bet it's not all that bad." the stranger said with a smile, sitting down next to Gwen, covering her under a huge umbrella and offering her a tissue.

"Eh...thanks." Gwen said, taking the offered tissue and blowing her nose.

"It's about a man, isn't it? It always is." the woman asked sympathetically.

Gwen swallowed back another sob. "Yes. Well, kind of. But I'm the one who fucked up."

"Nobody's perfect?!" the strange woman shrugged.

Gwen let out a sad laugh. "That's the understatement of the decade!"

"Well," the woman said, getting up "there's only one thing that'll cheer you up; a nice hot cuppa. My treat!"

{oOo}

_Half an hour later..._

The women were sitting in a café, two steaming cups of tea in front of them.

"Here." the stranger said, producing a towel out of her bag and handing it to Gwen.

"You carry that around with you?" Gwen asked, nevertheless taking it.

"Somebody who can stay in control of virtually any situation is somebody who is said to know where his or her towel is." the woman grinned.

"_'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'_, I'm starting to like you." Gwen laughed.

The other woman smiled and tilted her head. "So, do you wanna talk about it? Yes, you don't know me, I'm a strange girl carrying around a towel and treating people I don't know to tea, but I'm also an _extraordinarily_ good listener."

Gwen laughed again. She didn't know exactly why, but something about the other woman had a calming effect on her. She sighed, taking a sip of her tea. "It's complicated."

"Oh, I do _love_ complicated!"

"Fine." Gwen chuckled. "One condition, though."

The other woman raised an eyebrow.

"You have to tell me your name first." Gwen grinned.

"Fair enough." she laughed. "I'm Anny, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Gwen. Anny? Is that short for something?"

"Dorian. Yes, I know. Just don't." Anny said, rolling her eyes.

"Wow, what were your parents thinking?"

"Don't ask me." Anny laughed. "But this isn't about my family's weird choice of names. Tell me about him."

Gwen sighed again. "I don't even know where to begin. Or with which one of them, for that matter."

"Ah, that explains a lot."

"It doesn't even begin to explain, believe me."

"You cheated, big deal. Happens to the best of us. You should see my father, biggest playboy in the galaxy."

"He sounds like an arse." Gwen said sadly. "Just like me."

"True, he is sometimes. But making a few mistakes doesn't make you a generally bad person, you know?"

Gwen snorted.

"No, really. Let's start from the beginning. Tell me about your boyfriend, the one you cheated on?!"

"Rhys." Gwen said melancholic. "We met way back in school, have been together ever since. Everything was perfect, we were even starting to think about children. But then I got promoted to...special forces and-"

"Ah, special forces." Anny grinned knowingly.

"What?"

"Nothing, I've got a...friend, working in special forces. Continue."

"Okay. Well, I got promoted and suddenly had to work crazy hours. I was under so much stress, but there were so many new things to learn and explore. It was overwhelming, absolutely amazing. But I couldn't talk to Rhys about any of it, he didn't understand, he wasn't part of it. That's when I got closer to one of my workmates, Owen. He knew about the craziness of it all, he was part of it and one thing led to another. Things with Rhys were still good, but they lacked...passion. That's what I got from Owen, without having to deal with all the relationship stuff."

"So instead of patching things up with Rhys and talking about your problems, you went out looking for what you were missing with another man?"

"Don't sound like such a good person anymore, do I now?"

"Well, it wasn't entirely fair towards Rhys, but I get it. It was a mistake, sure, but you didn't do it with the intention of hurting your boyfriend, did you?"

"No, but that doesn't excuse it." Gwen said, looking down at her hands.

"Hey, people make mistakes. _Everybody_ makes mistakes." Anny smiled, taking her hands. "But it's not our mistakes that define us, it's how we deal with the consequences that shows who we really are."

Gwen pulled back her hands, looking embarrassed. "That's not all of it, though."

"I think we need something stronger than tea." Anny said, waving over the waiter. "A Gin Tonic for me and...?"

"A shandy, please." Gwen added.

"So, there's more?"

"Yes. There's a third guy."

"Wow, you're a busy girl!" Anny grinned.

"Shut it, you. It's not like that, not really. He's my boss and it's just a crush."

"Pfft, crushes don't count or else everybody would be cheating!"

"Maybe, but that's not the point. Today something happened and I broke things off with Owen. Afterwards I decided to come clean with Rhys, not only about my affair, but also about the feelings I have for my boss."

"See? That's the right thing to do right there!" Anny exclaimed happily.

"You have too much faith in me." Gwen sighed. "I did talk to Rhys, I told him everything. He yelled at me, we got in a huge fight, nothing I didn't expect. But I was a coward. I slipped some...vodka in his drink before I told him. He can't hold his vodka, he really can't. Everytime he drinks it, he forgets where he is and I have to go and pick him up." Tears started to run down her face. "He is asleep right now and when he wakes up, he probably won't have any idea what happened. He won't remember my confession or our fight. I only did it to make myself feel better. I'm such a terrible person, I-" but she couldn't finish and started sobbing again, looking miserable.

Anny went to sit next to her, hugged her and started to stroke her back. "Come on, don't cry, it's going to be fine. It's not too late. You know what you have to do though, don't you?"

"I have to tell him again." she nodded.

"You don't have to, but I would if I were you. I can't tell you what he's going to do, if he's going to walk out on you or stay. But it doesn't really matter. You realised what you did - a bit late, that's true, but you did - and this is your chance to make it right. You are not a bad person, Gwen. A bad person wouldn't care about any of this and you do care, you care so much. And _that_ makes you a good person, at least in my eyes." Anny said, brushing away her tears.

"Thanks." Gwen said, managing a smile. "I don't know why I told you all of this, I'm sorry, it isn't your problem, you don't know me after all."

"It's fine, I'm the one who offered to listen, remember?"

"Well, thanks again. I should probably go now, Rhys will be up soon. I want, no I _have_ to make this right with him. I owe him at least that much." she said and got up.

They put on their coats, Anny paid the bill, as promised and they walked outside, along the bay until they saw Gwen's car.

"Thank you." Gwen said again, giving the other woman a brief hug.

"You're repeating yourself." she chuckled. "And you're very welcome. I hope everything works out for you and Rhys, it sounds like you're good together." She pecked her on the cheek and started to walk away, waving back at her. "Oh and Gwen? Give my love to Jack, will you?"

Gwen nodded, getting in her car. Just when she was about to turn the keys she realised something and quickly scrambled back out. "Hey, I never told you his name, how did you...?"

But Anny was already gone, nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**A/N:** In this story, Gwen did go back home and tell Rhys about everything, without drugging him this time. Maybe this will come up again later on, I'm not sure yet. After telling him, they got in a fight and she went back to the hub. That's when things start to go back like they were in the episode (the scene where she's eating Pizza in the hub, crying).

I hope you liked it, please review and tell me what you thought!_  
_


	5. Interlude II - Someone Special

**Chapter Summary:** Jack and Ianto have a quick talk about Ria.

* * *

**Warnings:** some kissing (very little, you'll live)

* * *

**Interlude II - Someone Special**

Ianto was sitting on the couch in the hub, trying to comfort a visibly shaken Tosh, while listening to Gwen ramble on about _'the crazy girl'_, when John stormed out of Jack's office.

"Where are you going?" Gwen asked, failing to notice how hurt and tired the Captain looked.

"That's none of your damn business!" he spat.

"Oh really? Some mad woman you obviously know turns up in the hub, beheads a man in front of the entire team before collapsing and now you're trying to run off? I say you owe us an explanation!" she commanded, walking over to him.

Ianto saw his chance and looked down at Tosh, who was still curled up on the couch, but looked a lot better than she had a few minutes ago.

"Tosh, why don't you try and find out how the woman managed to teleport into the hub? You look like you could use the distraction and we need to know if there's a problem with our security system."

She nodded and got up. "You're right, thanks." she smiled. "Go check on Jack though, will you? I'm worried about him, he hasn't come out of his office since the two of you dragged John up there."

Ianto nodded with a smile; that's exactly what he had been planning to do. He went up the stairs to Jack's office and could hear Gwen and John arguing about poodles. How they had managed to go from the woman currently lying in the med bay to dogs was beyond him and when he looked back down, he could see Tosh rolling her eyes, typing away on her computer.

With a smile on his lips he knocked on the glass door before opening it a crack. "May I come in?"

Jack didn't answer, he was sitting at his desk, face in his hands and a half-empty glass of his special booze - he had called it hyper vodka once, though Ianto had no idea what that was supposed to be - in front of him. Ianto slipped into the room, carefully closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of Jack's desk.

"I never thought I would see her again." Jack said, looking up at the other man. Ianto saw the redness of the other man's eyes and realised that he had been crying, but knew better than to ask why.

"But you're glad she's back?"

Jack didn't answer right away and instead took a sip of his drink. "I am." he finally said, before emptying the contents of his glass. He looked up at Ianto again and before the latter knew what was happening, he found himself sittin on the immortal's lap, caught in a desperate hug.

"Jack, what is..." he began, before noticing the other man's tears, soking the front of his shirt. He lifted up Jack's face, looking him in the eyes. "Hey, it's all right. Everything's going to be fine." he smiled, placing a hand on Jack's neck and pulling him into a comforting kiss.

They sat like that for a while, Jack clutching at Ianto, while he stroked the sobbing Captain's back, placing little kisses on his head from time to time.

After the sobs had mostly subsided, Ianto lifted Jack's head up again, looking at him with a concerned expression on his face. "Who is she, Jack?"

"Someone special."

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you liked it, please leave a comment and tell me what you thought. The next chapter will be about Tosh.


	6. Random Acts of Kindness for Tosh

**A/N:** First of all, a huge thank you to_ IzzieJane _ for all her reviews and great advice. Thanks a lot!

This chapter was kind of hard to write. I was looking for a time during the first two seasons when Tosh would've needed someone to talk to and realised (again) that she's just not appreciated at all. So I decided to let Ria perform some random acts of kindness, scattered along the way of the first two seasons. I hope you like it.

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Tosh meets the mystery woman.

* * *

**Warnings:** nothing particular

* * *

**Chapter Four - Random Acts of Kindness for Tosh**

_After the events of 'Countrycide'..._

Toshiko Sato was more than surprised to find a bouquet of red orchids, her favourite flowers, sitting in front of her door when she returned from work that day. There was no card and she wondered who could have sent them. Maybe Owen? Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be an attempt to cheer her up after the horrible days they'd just had in the Brecon Beacons? But then again, this wasn't really Owen's style, was it? _'Well,'_ she thought _'they must have been delivered to the wrong address. Lucky me.'_

* * *

_After 'Greeks Bearing Gifts'..._

Tosh was sitting at the bar of a rather crowded club, thinking about the events of the past few days. She rarely went out drinking, but today seemed like the perfect occasion. Shagging an alien, an amulet that lets you read other people's minds; yes, her life was unusual, to say the least. She sighed, taking a sip of her fourth white wine spritzer. What bothered her the most, though, was the fact that she had hurt her friends by hearing their most private and intimate thoughts. Sure, some of the things she'd heard, especially the ones about herself, were hurtful and she kept wondering how much her 'friends' actually cared about her, but she only knew about those things because she had crossed a line, so who was she to judge? Maybe it wasn't so bad to be invisible and not to know what the ones she cared about thought of her. She finished her drink and waved over the bartender, reaching for her purse, only to realise that she must have forgotten her wallet at work.

The barman arrived and she looked up at him sheepishly. "I seem to have misplaced my wallet, I'm so sorry. If you'd just let me call a friend, I'm sure he could..."

But the man waved aside her explanation. "Don't worry, your tab has been paid for. And," he said, reaching into his pocket "she also left this for you."

Confused, Tosh opened the red envelope he handed her, only to find a twenty and a note in it.

_'Thought you'd better take a cab home. Take care, Toshiko.'_

"Who gave you this?" she asked, irritated.

"That woman over there, thought she must know you from somewhere." he said, pointing at an empty barstool. "Oh well, looks like she already left."

"Looks like it, yes." Tosh mused.

* * *

_After returning home to the present (after 'Captain Jack Harkness')..._

Emptying her mailbox, Tosh was wondering about Jack. Her Jack and the one they had met in 1941. It felt wrong to have left him in that dance hall, knowing that he was going to fly to his death the very next day. She knew that they'd done the right thing, it didn't take a genius to realise what disastrous consequences it could have had if they had warned him, but that didn't make it any easier. Sighing, she unlocked her door and went inside, looking through her mail. A few bills, a lot of spam, nothing unusual, apart from a suspicious red envelope. Curious, Tosh sat down on the couch, looking at the letter. There was no address on it, just her name, written in handwriting she didn't recognise. She opened it, taking out a photo and almost dropping it when she recognised the two men it showed. After composing herself, she turned the photo over, finding a note.

_'Tosh, I know it's hard, but you did the right thing.'_

Looking back at the picture, a sad smile started to form on her lips. She set the photo down on the table and went to run a much needed bath.

An hour later, she returned to the living room, feeling much more relaxed. She sat down on the sofa and took up the picture again. The 1941 Jack looked utterly happy, being held by her Jack, his eyes closed and being kissed lovingly for the last time. With a sigh, she went over to the window, looking out over the city.

"Where did you come from?" she asked, looking at the photo and setting it down on the windowsill.

* * *

_After 'To the Last Man'..._

Tosh was driving home, tears streaming down her face. She knew that this had to happen sooner or later, but she had really hoped it would be later. She tried to act strong in front of her friends, but now that she was alone in her car, she couldn't hold back anymore. Why did it have to be Tommy? Why did she have to fall for a man from the past, stored in cryo, who had to sacrifice himself for the sake of humanity? She laughed bitterly. Something like that could only happen if you worked for Torchwood.

She was startled by a loud bang a second later and had a hard time keeping the control of her car. She managed to drive to the side of the road and got out, inspecting her car. A blown tire, great. She took out her phone, only to find that it wasn't charged. She must have forgotten last night, because of Tommy. Tommy. She swallowed another sob and tried to activate her comm., realising that she'd left it back in the hub. She slumped to the ground, resting her head in hear hands, shaking when a new wave of tears took over.

"I guess you don't know how to change a tire, hmm?" the stranger said, holding out a hand to Tosh.

Baffled, she took the hand and let the woman help her up. "Thanks." she murmured.

"Now, do you have a spare tire?"

Tosh nodded, pointing to her trunk.

"Awesome." the woman exclaimed with a huge grin and went to work.

{oOo}

_Half an hour later..._

"There you go." the woman smiled. "Not as hard as it looks."

"Thank you. I don't really know what to say..." Tosh said, still a bit taken aback by the whole situation.

"The 'Thank you' was more than enough. I'm glad I could help. See you around." the other woman answered, getting back on her bright red bike and with a last wave in Tosh's direction, she drove off.

* * *

_A few days later..._

While the rest of the team enjoyed a night out, Toshiko was sitting in her favourite Japanese restaurant, a glass of Sake in front of her, going over some calculations. She had excused herself, not wanting to spoil everyone's fun. She was still hurting a lot because of Tommy and really didn't feel like pretending to be all right.

"Meh, I never liked math." the woman said, dropping down into the seat opposite of Tosh. "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you mind if I join you?"

Surprised, Tosh shook her head.

"Great! Now, I'm _starving_, how about a bite to eat? I'm paying." she smiled.

"Sorry, but who are you?"

"Oh, how rude. I'm Dori, nice to meet you!" the stranger said, opening a menu. "The Kakuni looks delicious, what are you having?" she asked, calling over a waiter.

"The Unagi for me, thanks." Tosh smiled at the waiter.

"And a bottle of sake, please!" Dori added with a grin. "So, did you get home okay last week?"

"Yes, thanks again." Tosh said, a confused look on her face. "I'm sorry, but is there something you want?"

"Not really, no." the other woman said nonchalantly.

Perplexed, Tosh sat there and didn't have a clue what Dori was up to.

{oOo}

_One hour later..._

"...and then Kyo ran out on the balcony, wearing nothing but his slippers, singing 'God Save The Queen' from the top of his lungs." Tosh laughed.

Dori almost spit out her drink, barely able to contain herself. "I would have loved to see that!"

"He was a handfull." Tosh smiled. "I still miss him."

"Of course you do. You never stop missing the people you loved." Dori smiled sadly.

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience?"

"You could say that."

"I'm sorry." Tosh said sympathetically.

Dori giggled. "You don't even know what you're sorry about."

"You're drunk!" Tosh exlaimed.

"But I'm not the only one." Dori squealed and they broke out in laughter again.

{oOo}

_Half an hour later... _

The women were walking along the bay, enjoying the unusually warm weather for Cardiff.

"You know, I'm still pissed that you paid the bill, I said it was my treat." Dori pouted.

"What can I say? I'm a nice person." Tosh grinned.

"I agree. You are an amazing person. You realise that, don't you?"

Tosh blushed, sheaking her head.

"Hey, I'm serious! You are nice, caring, compassionate and _insanely_ smart. I saw some of those calculations you were doing, heavy stuff."

"That was just work stuff."

"You must be a big deal at work."

"I'm just part of a team, nothing special."

"Sounds like you're unhappy?"

"No, not at all!" Tosh assured her. "It's the best job in the world, I wouldn't want to do anything else."

"But?"

"Nothing."

"You don't feel appreciated, do you?"

Tosh blushed again, nodding this time.

"Did you tell them?"

"I don't want to bother them with it, that would be selfish." she shrugged.

Dori stopped in her tracks, grabbing Tosh by the shoulders, forcing her to face her. "There's nothing selfish about wanting to be appreciated for what you do. _Nothing_. Don't make yourself smaller than you are, Toshiko. You are unbelievable and anybody who can't see that is just a bloody idiot! Understood?" she asked and pulled the other woman into a bone-crushing hug.

"Okay," she said, after letting go of Tosh "I'm gonna write you a check. I said dinner was on me and I always keep my word. And don't even think about protesting, I insist!" She pulled out a checkbook, scribbled something on one of the checks and handed it to Tosh. "Now," she pulled out an ancient pocket watch, flipped it open and sighed "I really have to go. It was a pleasure to meet you, Tosh. Take care." She hugged her again briefly, placed a kiss on her cheek and turned to walk away.

"You too!" Tosh smiled after her, starting to walk back in the direction of the Plass. She suddenly remembered the check, taking out her wallet to put it away. That's when she looked at it properly for the first time and almost tripped over some rocks lying on the ground. The check was bright red, with what looked like some kind of runes on it. Instead of an amount of money, there was a note left on it;

_'To Toshiko, so you may never forget just how special you are.'_

She spun around, but Dori had already vanished.

* * *

**A/N:** So, what do you guys think? I adore Tosh, hope you could see that in this chapter. And please, leave some comments so that I know if anyone's interested in reading this at all.


	7. Interlude III - Old Friend

**Chapter Summary:** Owen and Jack have a talk and meet an old 'friend'.

* * *

**Warnings:** (mild) swearing

* * *

**Interlude III - Old Friend**

Owen was sitting in Jack's office, looking down into the main area of the hub, watching Ianto 'clean up' one of their recent visitors. Boy, was he glad that he didn't have to do this.

He turned around at the sound of Jack's voice. "How is she?"

"She's going to live. Ianto and I put her in one of the beds in the recovery room. See, I told you we'd need it sooner rather than later."

Jack got up, moving over to the window, looking out into the hub, hands in his pockets. "What happened to her?"

Owen sighed. "I don't know, Jack, but whatever it was, it must have been brutal. You saw the wound where she got shot. I was able to close that up with the Slitheen Stitcher - seriously, we have to stop letting teaboy name the stuff we find - but without that, we would have had a serious problem. She's covered in cuts and bruises, some of them pretty nasty. Two ribs are cracked, one looks like it was broken not long ago. It had probably punctured the lung, since half of it is missing. And it doesn't look like someone who knew what they were doing took it out. Actually, I'm surprised she lived through that procedure. Her shoulder was dislocated and I had to take out part of what looked like a knive that was stuck under her collarbone. And as if that wasn't enough already, her knee is shattered. I can only take a guess at how that happened, but what I know is that it's going to take a shitload of time to heal. And that's only the recent injuries, don't get me started on all the older things I found."

"Shit." Jack choked out, rubbing his eyes.

Owen got up, taking a box up from the floor and putting it on Jack's desk. "Those are the things she had on her, thought you'd want to look through them."

Jack went over to his desk and started to empty the contents of the box. He wasn't surprised to find a considerable amount of weapons, including the sword they'd seen before, a set of throwing knives, a pair of sai, a laser pistol and a bow with what looked suspiciously like bone arrows. Putting them aside, he reached into the box again, this time producing two wrist straps.

"I notice that they're smaller than the ones you and John have, but she's got two of them." Owen grinned.

Jack couldn't suppress a smile of his own and took out the last item.

"Don't bother trying to open it." Owen said when Jack reached for the cord holding the little satchel together. "Gave Ianto a nice shock when he tried." he explained when Jack looked at him confused.

Jack was about to set it down, when it started twichting in his hand.

"Okay, that's new." Owen mused.

Ignoring the doctor's advice, Jack pulled at the cord and stumbled back when a lizard-like creature the size of a ferret jumped out at him.

Owen already had his gun out, but Jack hold up his hand, telling him to stop. "Benedict!" he exclaimed happily, starting to scratch the creature's belly. It made a sound that reminded Owen of a purring cat and started to stretch in the Captain's hands before spreading a pair of tiny wings, flying over the doctor's head and landing on one of the bookcases.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Owen shouted.

"That's Benedict." Jack said with a grin. "They live in the deserts of the Vegas Galaxy, cute little buggers, aren't they?"

"Yeah, whatever. But how did it fit in there?" Owen asked, pointing at the satchel.

"It's bigger on the inside." Jack stated, matter of factly.

"Oh, of course, how stupid of me." Owen said, rolling his eyes.

Jack went over to the bookcase, picking up Benedict again, who climbed on his shoulder and proceeded to sit there, liking its 'paw' and making Jack look like some sort of Space Pirate. "I'm just going to find something to eat for him." Jack said. "I'll be down with you guys in a minute."

"Fine." Owen muttered, shaking his head. Flying lizards? Why not, he thought, walking back down to the recovery room. He stopped in the door when he saw John, lying in the bed next to Ria, stroking her head and...singing? Was he really singing to her? And what kind of language was that anyway? This day definitely couldn't get any weirded, he decided.

John looked up when he heard Owen walk in. "Please, don't make me leave." he pleaded, looking desperate. "I'm sorry...about before, you know?" he said, pressing his forhead to the woman's, closing his eyes.

He only opened them again when something hit him in the back of the head. "What the...?" he began, before realising it was a blanket.

He looked at Owen, who was already walking back out of the room and the last thing he heard was the other man muttering something about wishing he'd still be able to get drunk.

* * *

**A/N:** Next up the chapter about Owen. Please leave comments, they make me happy._  
_


	8. Fighting With Owen

**Chapter Summary:** Owen is the last one of the team to meet the mystery woman.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, mentions of violence, mild gore

* * *

**Chapter Five - Fighting With Owen**

"You know, I don't normally meet a lot of people up here."

Owen spun around, startled. "And who the fuck are you?" he spat, looking the stranger up and down. He wasn't in the mood for small talk, that's why he came up here in the first place. To get away from it all, the craziness of his job, the pity of his mates and, oh yeah, the fact that he was a walking corpse. The stranger didn't seem to pick up on his desire to be left alone and sat down next to him. Great, just bloody great. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"Dorian." she said and lit a cigarette. "Want one?"

Owen looked at her, then down at the pack of cigs she was holding out to him. "No, thanks. And you do realise that Dorian is a man's name?"

She grinned, taking a drag and blowing out the smoke in a perfect circle.

"Impressive." Owen remarked.

"And not the only fun thing I can do with my mouth." she winked at him.

Owen couldn't help himself, he had to grin too. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't going to be that bad after all.

"Yes, by the way." she said after a few minutes of silence. He looked at her, confused.

"I do realise Dorian isn't your typical name for a girl."

"Parents can be cruel. My middle name's Ashley."

"Suits you." she teased.

"Bugger off. So, who came up with the _'Hey, let's name our daughter after the most narcissistic person in literature!'_ idea?"

"My father. The most narcissistic person in the galaxy."

Owen snorted. "You haven't met my boss."

Dorian proceeded to lie down on the grass, closing her eyes, stretching and looking utterly content, which gave Owen a chance to secretly check her out. He was only a bloke after all. And she didn't look bad either. The freckles on her nose and cheeks matched her auburn hair and pale skin.

"Are you watching me?" she asked with a grin, opening her eyes.

"You have heterochromia." Owen stated.

"What now?"

"Heterochromia iridum, your eyes have different colours."

"Oh, that." She lit another cigarette.

Owen wrinkled his nose, even though he couldn't smell anything anymore. "That's really unhealthy, you know."

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Heterochromia, fear of cancer, what are you, some kind of doctor?"

"Yes. Well, I was."

"You were?"

"I got...kind of demoted. It's complicated."

Dorian turned onto her stomach, propped herself up on her elbows and smiled at him. "I _love_ complicated. Shoot."

It was Owen's turn to lie down, crossing his arms behind his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'm not sure I believe it myself."

"Ah, you'd be surprised."

For a moment he considered telling her. It would be nice to talk to someone who wasn't Torchwood, to get a reaction that wasn't streaked with guilt and pity from people who blamed themselves for what had happened to him. But the risk would be too high. Letting people know he was a Zombie didn't really seem like a good idea. "Forget about it." he sighed.

"Ah, come on. You can't tease me like that and then not tell me. That's not fair!"

"I can do whatever the bloody hell I want!" he snapped at her, growing angry again.

"A bit touchy, aren't we?"

"Fuck off, I don't need this!" he said, getting up. "I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not in the mood, all right? I came up here to be alone and clear my head and since it doesn't look like you're about to piss off, I'm leaving. It was a pain in the ass to meet you, goodbye." And with that he stormed off.

He was on his way back to his car when he started to calm down.

_'Great job, Harper.'_ he thought._ 'Taking it out on some random girl, that's gonna solve everything.' He sighed. 'Well, at least I don't have to see her again and act like I'm sorry.'_

* * *

_A few days later..._

Owen was sitting in his favourite spot again. It was just up a little hill on the outskirts of Cardiff, overlooking the city. People rarely made the effort to climb the narrow path all they way to the top and so he had the place to himself most of the time. Today he didn't seem to be lucky, though.

"How's it going, Mr Moody?" Dorian asked grinning and plopped down on the grass next to him.

"Are you following me?"

"Yes, because I've got nothing better to do than running after some cranky doctor all day long. Done enough of that, thank you very much."

"Why are you here, then?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said in mock dismay "I didn't realise you owned this place."

"Funny." Owen answered, clearly annoyed.

"It's nice here. I like being somewhere up high, to watch over the city. Helps to calm my nerves."

They sat there for a while, until it got too weird for Owen's taste and he had to break the silence.

"I'm not going to say sorry, you know. I don't do apologies. If that's what you came here for."

"Nothing to be sorry for, mate. Everyone has a bad day once in a while."

"Oh?" he exclaimed, a bit taken aback. "No _'You insensitive bastard!'_ or _'Don't treat us like shit Owen, we're just trying to help!'_?"

"Who am I? Your mother? I'm not really the one for all that emotional rubbish."

"That's good news for once." He didn't know how, but she had managed to go from annoying to, well, acceptable and he was surprised to find that he didn't mind her joining him up here as much as he thought he would have. Even though he would never admit it, it was nice to have some company. Someone who didn't push him to talk about stuff he wasn't ready to discuss, someone who was just being there, teasing him, being fun. A proper mate. It was strange to think of Dorian like that, he'd only met her a few days ago and barely knew her, but somehow, it felt right. He was caught up in his thoughts and only came back to reality when he heard her trying to light a cigarette and failing.

"Need some help?" he grinned, looking over at her, noticing the odd motion she did with her hand while trying to turn on her lighter. "What happened there?"

"Nothing, 's fine."

"Doesn't look fine. Show me."

Reluctantly, she held out her arm.

"Bloody hell! That's what you call fine?" he shouted, looking at a deep cut, running all the way down from her elbow to the top of her hand.

"It's just a scratch." she shrugged, pulling back.

"An infected scratch, that is. And what about the fingers? They're probably not broken either, just _'a bit crooked'_?"

"Who's being funny now?"

"Shut up. Come on, I've got an emergency kit in my car, move." he ordered.

"It's nothing, really." she said, rolling her eyes, but got up nevertheless.

{oOo}_  
_

Dorian was sitting in the back of Owen's car, cursing and grumbling, while he cleaned out the cut.

"I'm sorry, I know it hurts. The anaesthetics should start working any second now." he consoled her. "This is going to need stitches, it's probably best if I take you to the hospital."

"No way!" she said, trying to get up, but Owen held her down.

"Easy, calm down." He continued his work, cleaning the wound and inspecting the fingers. "So, are you going to tell me how this happend?"

"It's nothing."

"You keep saying that. From my experience, injuries like that don't come from nothing, though. And your reluctance to go to the emergency room doesn't really fill me with confidence either, you know?" He eyed her suspiciously and poked the wound carefully with a pair of tweezers. "Does that hurt?" She shook her head and he started to stitch up the cut. "It would be better to do that in a hospital than out here in my car in the woods." he muttered, not failing to notice how she winced at the mention of the word 'hospital'.

"You're lucky, none of the fingers are broken." he noted after finishing up with the cut. "Two of them are dislocated."

"What a relief." she grinned and, much to Owen's shock, popped them back into place like it was nothing.

"You're mad." he said, shaking his head and starting to clean up his utensils. "And you're not going to tell me what happened, are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'm not sure I believe it myself."

"Unbelievable." he muttered, but couldn't suppress a grin. "For all I know, I just stitched up some lunatic who hurt herself during a murder spree."

"Oh, come on!" she laughed. "Do I look crazy?" she asked, making puppy eyes and flashing him her most innocent look.

"Turning up here, bleeding, acting like it's no big deal? What do you think?"

"I think you did a pretty good job fixing me up."

"Nice way of changing the subject." he said, turning serious. "My boss probably wouldn't agree with you, though."

"Well, then he's an idiot."

"Tell me about it." he laughed.

"I'm serious, looks like you're a decent doctor to me. What's his reason for 'demoting' you anyway?"

"Had an...accident a while back and he's worried. At least that's what he says."

"Sounds reasonable enough, if you ask me."

"I don't need his pity."

"Then prove it. Prove to him that you're up to the task."

He sighed, putting his bag back into the car. "That's easier said than done. Now, I'm gonna take you home, a little rest won't hurt you."

They got into the car and started driving. "Where to?" he asked.

"You can just let me out by the bay, I'll walk from there."

"What, are you afraid that I'm some kind of stalker? Do I look crazy?" he teased.

"Fuck off." she said, sticking out her tongue.

They reached their destination about 45 minutes later and got out of the car.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Owen asked.

"Don't go all doctor on me. I'm fine."

"Okay, just checking."

"Is it okay if I hug you? Or is that too emotional?" she asked with a wink.

Owen laughed "I think I can manage that."

She got up on her toes, hugging him with her good arm. "Thank you, Owen." she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey, what are doctors for?" he asked, getting back into his car, watching her walk away until he heard his phone buzz. He opened the text and his mouth fell open.

_'Tell Jack I said to stop worrying, you're fine.'_

He jumped out of the car again, but couldn't see her anywhere.

"What the hell?" he mused, scratching his head.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, what do you think about Ria and Owen? I hope you liked it.


	9. Dorian and the Time Agency

**Chapter Summary:** Jack and John explain about the time agency and the team finds out who their guest is.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, (mentions) of violence and gore

* * *

**Chapter Six - Dorian and the Time Agency**

The team, including John, were sitting in the conference room, waiting for Jack, watching Benedict, who, much to Owen's amusement, seemed to have taken a liking to Ianto and was currently nibbling on the annoyed man's ear.

"Even the rumeen seems to think you look good in a suit, eye-candy." John teased and Owen tried to hide a grin.

"Shut it." Ianto snapped, trying to push the little animal away, failing miserabily and finally accepting his fate. "What's a rumeen anyway?" he sighed.

"Some kind of future space pet?" Gwen suggested.

"The scans say it's some kind of reptile." Tosh added.

"You don't say?" John said, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"You don't have to go around insulting us, you know?"

"I know I don't_ have_ to, Cooper, but I like doing it."

"You're unbelievable!" Gwen shouted, getting up.

"And you're getting on my nerves!" John bit back, standing up too.

"John, sit down and, just for once, shut up. And Gwen, don't let him tease you, you know he's enjoying it when you get unnerved." Jack said, entering the room and sitting down at the end of the table.

"But he..." Gwen started.

"_But he..._" John mimicked perfectly.

"_ENOUGH!_" Jack blustered with an authority that effectively shut them up. "Owen, would you please give the rest of the team a summary of what you told me in my office earlier?"

The doctor shifted in his seat. "Well, as you've all seen, she was in a pretty bad state when she arrived. I was able to patch her up, but the gun shot wound and the shattered knee will take a lot of time to heal."

"Thanks, Owen." Jack said, turning to Tosh. "Did you find out how she managed to teleport into the hub?"

"Partly, yes." Tosh answered, taking out her tablet. "It looks like she had some of the access codes and put the rest she needed together herself, I don't know how, though. It looks like some kind of automated process that-"

"I'm sorry," Gwen chiped in "but am I the only one who wants some answers?"

"Gwen, please-" Jack started, but was immediately interrupted again.

"No, Jack, I demand that you explain. Some woman turns up here, kills a man while all of us are watching, then collapses, obviously badly hurt and you're asking us technical questions?! Who is she and what does she want?" she yelled, once again failing to notice Jack looking completely worn out.

"What I'm wondering," Owen added "is why she has been stalking all of us for the last couple of months?!"

"What now?" John asked angrily, looking at Jack. "Did you know about this?"

"Don't you think I would have told you if I'd known that she's back?" Jack said, looking hurt.

"It's not like we've been talking much, have we now?" John grumbled.

"Ladies, please." Owen interjected. "Can you do that later?"

"Fine." John pouted.

"What do you mean 'stalking you' anyway?" Jack spoke up again.

"It looks like we've all encountered your...friend before." Ianto said, once again trying to shake off Benedict, who let out a cry, flew over to John, looking like he was sulking too.

"Looks like a match made in heaven." Owen scoffed, rolling his eyes at the two of them.

"Don't start again, Owen." Jack warned, turning to Ianto. "So you've met her?"

Ianto blushed a little and nodded. "We all have."

Jack raised an eyebrow, looking at his team.

* * *

_40 minutes later..._

"Okay, let me get this straight." John said, walking around the room, rubbing his forehead. "Eye-candy, you had some drunk adventure at a gay club - the address of which you're goning to give me when we're finished here - and let a stranger drive you home, in the Torchwood company car, filled with alien tech and weapons?" He turned to Gwen. "And you, you drugged your boyfriend - nice touch, by the way - and then broke down in front of that same stranger, not even wondering how she knew Jack or considering to tell him? The same goes for you, Asian. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?! And you, doctor." he spat, looking at Owen. "You meet some random girl, yell at her, meet her again, badly injured this time, decide to stitch her up, ignoring the fact that something's clearly amiss? And none of you mention _any_ of this to Jack?" He sat back down, throwing his hands in the air. "You really know how to pick them, Jackie."

They all looked at Jack, clearly embarrassed.

"As much as I hate to admit it, John's right." Jack agreed. Behind him, John beamed proudly and stuck his tongue out at them.

"We know it was stupid, Jack." Tosh spoke up. "But somehow, talking to her felt natural. I can't explain it, she made it seem all right."

The others nodded in agreement.

"It's the pheromones." Jack sighed.

"I thought you said those weren't able to influence us?"

"Don't worry, eye-candy, he hasn't been using his 51st century flirting skills to rape you."

"John, please." Jack tried to calm them down. "Normally, they just...kind of smell nice, different to everyone, depending on the person's tastes. The only thing we can do is control the amount we release."

"That sounds kind of dirty, if you put it like that." John grinned.

"Anyway," he went on, ignoring the other Captain "with her, it's different."

"Fantastic." Owen muttered.

"What do you mean, different?" Tosh asked curiously.

"As I said," Jack continued "normally they're just a nice little add-on, if you will. Somehow she's able to use them differently, though. She can't control people's minds or anything like that, but, as you've all experienced, it's easy for her to make people trust her."

"That's just great, Jack." Gwen, who had been oddly quiet, snorted. "She has some weird ability to make people like her, managed to breach our security and killed an innocent man-"

"He was hardly innocent!" John yelled, perplexing the rest of the team.

"He was a time agent." Jack explained.

"Oh yes, that helps, because you've told us all about what the fuck time agents are." Owen said with a cynical laugh.

Jack sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "They were an organisation, formed to protect time itself. It was an honour to get accepted, so no one turned them down. John and I were both recruited as teenagers and soon became partners."

"In more than one way." John grinned, winking at Ianto.

"Shut it, John." Jack said, hitting the other man on the back of the head.

"Hey, that's no way to treat your wife!" John exclaimed, only to get hit again, this time by both Jack and Ianto.

"We spent a few years working together." Jack continued, shooting a warning glance at John, who held up his hands in mock surrender.

"That's when you got stuck in that time loop thingy?" Owen assumed.

"Not exactly, no." Jack said, with a pained look on his face. "One morning I woke up, two years of my memory gone. So I did the first thing that came to my mind: I ran. I ran and became a con-man, earning my money by trying to steal from the Time Agency. That's when I met the Doctor and finally landed back in the 19th century, suddenly immortal, recruited to Torchwood. My Vortex Manipulator was broken, I didn't have the things needed to repair it, so my only choice was to wait for the Doctor to return. And that's what I did, for over one hundred years. Then John, for whom only a few years had passed, turned up at Torchwood and told me his part of the story."

Four pairs of eyes wandered over to John, looking at him expectantly.

The Captain shifted in his seat uncomfortably, but started talking nevertheless. "Jack wasn't the only one who got his memories stolen, same thing happened to me. The first person I was looking for when I realised what had happened was Jack, but he had already run off. The agency told me that he was a traitor, that he was the one who had taken my memories. I couldn't believe it at first, but the evidence was there and it did make sense. So they gave me the assignment to take him out and I started looking for him. It took me a few years, but I finally found him in Cardiff and came here to finish my job." he admitted, looking at Jack apologetically.

The older man smiled, putting his hand on John's shoulder. "I don't blame you. Anyway, John turned up and instead of killing me, we ended up...erm..."

"Shagging?" Owen offered.

"Yes." Jack admitted, slightly embarrassed. "He told me his part of the story and we decided to take down the agency together."

"Which didn't really work out." John laughed bitterly.

"Not at all, no." Jack agreed. "They caught us and, since killing us themselves would have looked kind of bad, locked us up in a time loop. We were stuck in there for five years until we found a way out, purely per chance. After that, we managed to convince the Shadow Proclamation, a kind of Galactic Law, to shut down the agency."

"Which means you lied to us. Both of you." Ianto stated, earning confused looks from Gwen, Owen and Tosh.

"They made it look like they hadn't seen each other since their time in the agency." Ianto explained. "And if you met again after that and were stuck in a time loop together for five years, you can't honestly want me to believe that John didn't know about your immortality?"

"I knew." John admitted.

"Then why did you lie to us and act like you didn't have a clue?" Ianto asked furiosly.

"First of all, to protect Jack." John yelled, growing angry too. "I didn't know if you knew about his inability to stay dead and I had promised him not to tell anyone. There are more than enough people out there who would pay a fucking huge amount of money to get their hands on him and his _'gift'_, so do you think it's a good idea to prance around, telling everyone I meet about it?" he shouted, getting up and starting to walk around the room, hands in his hair.

To Jack's astonishment, Ianto got up from his seat, walked up to John and crushed him to his chest, hugging him tightly. He was even more surprised when John not only let him, but even hugged him back, burying his face in the younger man's shoulder.

"I think we can all understand that." Toshiko broke the silence. "But why act like everything after you leaving the agency hadn't happened?"

"Because" John threw in, disentangling himself from Ianto "there are still some people out there who are sympathetic to the agency or used to be part of it. It's best not the mention the whole time loop debacle and draw attention to us."

"I get that," Ianto spoke up again" but Jack told me about the conversation the two of you had in that bar before the rest of us arrived. What was that about then?

"The woman John had killed when he came here the first time," Jack continued "was part of a group of agents trying to rebuild the agency. That's why he _had_ to kill her. He wasn't looking for an actual diamond either, the containers were supposed to contain information on the other agents. Their organisation is called 'The Diamond'. But the woman lied to him, there was no information and you all saw what happened when we assembled the pieces we found in the canisters."

"So everything that happened when he turned up the first time was just an act?" Owen asked disbelievingly.

John nodded. "I was being followed, so I had to play pretend. Jack and I decided to try and throw them off, thus the conversation in the bar and Jack acting like he had no clue about the agency being shut down. I have to admit though, your boss is extremely good at improvising, the first time he heard about me coming here and wanting to trick the Diamond was when he got my message on his wrist strap. The Diamond don't know what really happened to the agency, barely anyone does. And it worked out in the end. The Diamond agent that followed me heard us talking in the club, thought I was still in contact and loyal to the remainders of the agency, so he contacted me. And with a little bit of flirting, it was painfully easy to get the names of the other two agents and take them out." he finished proudly.

"And who was the man our guest in the recovery room killed?" Owen wondered.

"One of the former time agents that didn't get locked up after they shut down the agency." Jack explained. "They're scattered all over the universe and time and have been laying low. I don't know what caused the events you witnessed today, though." he admitted.

"Summing up;" Owen began "you two have much more history than we thought you had, the time agency was kind of shitty, everything that happened when John came here the first time was just an act to get rid of the Diamond agents and to protect Jack and there are still some former time agents somewhere out there, one of which my newest patient killed earlier?"

"Pretty much, yes." the two Captains agreed.

"Was anything you told us the truth?" Ianto asked.

"John really is an ass." Jack smirked, earning himself a slap. "And I really was surprised when he turned up, I hadn't seen him since we shut down the agency together. And I didn't want him to stay either, he is a reminder of my past and I wanted to get rid of him." he said, looking at Ianto.

The team looked at each other, trying to process the information.

"You could have trusted us with this, Jack." Tosh said and Ianto and Owen nodded.

"You are an annoying bastard, but we would have stood by you." the doctor agreed.

"I know," Jack sighed "I'm sorry."

"Well, this is all very interesting, but there's still one question remaining." Gwen said. "_Who is that woman?_"

John looked at Jack, who nodded, nervously running his fingers through his hair.

"Dorian Hiver'en Zoy Hart." he stated. "And yes, I am aware that Dorian is a male name. No, Hiver'en isn't 21st century English and yes, I do realise that Zoy sounds like soy." he added with a grin.

"Hart?" Ianto asked, eyes growing wider.

"So what? She's your sister?"

"You really are an idiot for someone who claims to be a doctor." John said, rolling his eyes.

"She's his daughter. Isn't she?"

"100 points to eye-candy."

"Who's her mother?" Tosh wondered.

"That one right here." the captain smirked, pointing at Jack, who smiled innocently.

"Hey, I thought we agreed that you were the wife?" the immortal teased.

_"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"_ Gwen shouted, startling everyone in the room, including Benedict, who screeched and went to hide unter Jack's chair.

"You have a kid together?" Owen repeated, while Ianto grew visibly paler and Tosh kept opening and closing her mouth, not knowing what to say.

"Who's the biological father, then?" Ianto asked after he had composed himself a little.

"We both are." John stated, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Don't tell me one of you got pregnant? Please, for the love of God, tell me that didn't happen?!" Owen groaned.

John just grinned wickedly until Jack spoke up, fearing that the doctor was going to pass out. "No one got pregnant. There are other ways of doing this in the future."

"Jack, please, just cut it out and tell us everything." Ianto pleaded, looking hurt and tired.

Jack tried to take the younger man's hand, but Ianto pulled back.

The Captain sighed. "It happened when we were trapped in that time loop. We were stuck in the 62nd century and were re-living the same week over and over again."

"Was fun to begin with," John threw in "included a lot of drinking and shagging."

"Yes, thanks for that, John." Ianto shot him an icy look.

"After about two years," Jack continued "we had given up on ever getting out. We were bored and, I honestly don't know what we were thinking, decided to start a family. There are these things called progenation machines, which allow people who aren't able to conceive the biological way to get children. They were initially used to produce adult soldiers and recuired only one parent, but were adapted over time. You simply put your hand into the machine, it takes a sample of your skin and voilà, you got yourself a kid."

"I need a coffee." Ianto said, quickly getting up and leaving the conference room, closely followed by the little rumeen.

Jack was about to go after him, but John put a hand on his shoulder, shook his head and followed the younger man himself.

* * *

Ianto was standing in the hub's kitchen, staring at the fridge, unable to move, while Benedict tried to eat his shoelaces.

"So, can I get a cup too?"

"Fuck off, John."

"Oh, come on, what's wrong, eye-candy?"

"_Are you freaking kidding me?_" the younger man yelled, shoving the Captain.

"Are you jealous?" he continued to tease, earning himself a fist to the face.

"Okay, that's enough." John said, wrapping his arms around Ianto.

"Let go of me. John, I'm serious, let me go!" the other man protestet, trying get free.

"Calm down, all right?" John said, holding on.

"I don't want to calm down. Let me go!" Ianto growled.

But John only tightened his grip. "I'm just trying to help."

Ianto snorted, still struggling to get out of the unwanted embrace.

"I'm serious. I've known Jack forever, what do you think how many half-truths he's told me over the years? I know how you feel, I really do, Ianto."

The younger man relaxed a little, looking up at John.

"Look, I know how you and the rest of that team think of me," the Captain continued "but I actually do care about people other than me. Granted, only a few people, but that includes you."

"Yeah right." Ianto said, starting to struggle again.

"I do!" John exlaimed, putting his hands on either side of Ianto's face, effecitively forcing the other man to look at him. "I've been where you are right now. Madly in love with a man who's unable to express his feeling and keeps running away every time you think you finally got him."

"I'm not-" Ianto started.

"Of course you are!"

The younger man wanted to protest again, but his voice failed him. Looking up at John, he saw the compassionate look in the Captain's eyes and couldn't hold back anymore. With a frustrated groan, he buried his head in John's shoulder and was soon overwhelmed by a flood of tears.

"I know." John consoled, stroking the back of Ianto's head.

It took a few minutes for Ianto to get a grip on himself and when he stepped back, he was more than surprised to suddenly find John's mouth on his own.

"What are...?" he choked out, pulling back a little, only to be kissed again, more fiercly this time. The rational part of his brain told him to kick the other man in the balls, but instead he grabbed the lapels of the Captain's coat, pulling him closer, granting him access to his mouth. Half a second later, he found himself pressed against the kitchen counter, ridded of his suit jacket with John's hands trying to sneak their way under his shirt. Putting his arms around the older man's waist, he pressed himself into him, causing John to moan into the kiss. Turning them around so that John was the one with his back pressed against the furniture, Ianto started to pull the other man's shirt out of his pants, caressing the exposed skin. John threw his head back with another moan, but took hold of Ianto's hands, stopping him.

"I'm sorry." the captain panted. "This was stupid...I...I...should..."

But he was interrupted by Ianto, who pressed another soft kiss to his lips. "It's fine." he said, resting his forehead against the other man's, murmuring 'thanks' before pulling back, starting to straighten his clothes.

John did the same, their eyes met and they both broke out in laughter.

"We should probably get back." John grinned.

"Probably, yes." Ianto agreed with a similar grin. "I'm just gonna make some coffee, that's what I came here for, after all. And yes, you can have a cup as well."

John beamed and hopped on to the counter, waiting for the archivist to finish while teasing Benedict with a bisquit.

* * *

"So, the two most annoying and self-centred people in the universe have a kid together." Owen stated after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Why did you never tell us about this?" Tosh asked, taking Jack's hand.

"Because he never tells us anything. It's typical Jack." Gwen hissed.

"It's complicated." Jack sighed.

"Oh yes, of course. It always is, isn't it?" Gwen spat.

"What's it to you anyway?" Jack yelled, growing angry. "My private life is none of your business!"

"If '_your private life_' turns up here killing people, it very well is my business!"

"I don't know what you want from me, Gwen."

"I want an explanation, Jack. You can't just tell us that you have a daughter, with John bloody Hart of all people, and expect us to go on like nothing happened!"

"You have _no_ idea what you're asking of me." Jack sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"It's a simple question, really." Gwen kept shouting.

"That's enough, Gwen!" Tosh exclaimed, banging her fist on the table.

The others looked at her, wide-eyed, not used to the petite woman being so dominant.

"Now," she continued calmly "let's start at the beginning. How old is she? She must have been about 3 years old when you got out of the time loop. When was that?"

"It was 1993 in your time when we got out, so she turned 18 recently-"

"If she stayed parallel to your timeline, that is." John interrupted, entering the room, holding a half empty pack of bisquits, Benedict sitting on his shoulder.

He was followed by Ianto, carrying a tray with steaming mugs of coffee, setting one in front of each member of the team, carefully avoiding Jack's gaze.

"I've been here for over 3 years, Tosh even longer, how come that none of us have ever seen her before?" Owen asked.

Jack looked down at his hands, refusing to answer, so John spoke up. "Because she wasn't here."

"So where has she been?" Tosh wanted to know.

"We don't know." John admitted.

"Parents of the year." Gwen said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not afraid to hit you if you don't shut up now." John threatened, looking dead serious.

Gwen sat back in her seat, crossing her arms, but stayed quiet.

"Okay, lets get this over with." John continued, sitting down next to Jack. "We escaped the time loop, Jack went back to Torchwood and I started working as a...let's say freelancer. Dorian stayed with my parents in the 51st century, we both visited as much as possible. When she turned 12, we enrolled her at Orion Academy, a kind of future private school. That's where she stayed from then on, spending the holidays either with my parents, Jack or me. A bit more than 4 years ago there was an incident and she left. None of us have heard of hear or seen her since."

"What kind of 'incident'?" Tosh asked carefully, realising how sick Jack had started to look.

John looked at the other Captain, concerned.

"Her twin brother died." Jack choked, desperately trying to hold back his tears.

At that, both Tosh and Gwen jumped up, hugging the immortal tightly.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Gwen said, tears in her own eyes. "I had no idea. I'm _so_ sorry!"

They were interrupted by a beeping sound and turned to Owen, who was looking at his tablet. "Looks like our guest has woken up." he said, quickly getting up, almost tripping over John who was already running out of the conference room. Shaking his head, he went after him, followed by Gwen and Tosh, leaving Jack and Ianto alone in the room.

As soon as the others had left, Jack broke down and started sobbing, looking absolutely miserable. Ianto was at his side in a second, pulling him into his arms and pressing a kiss in his hair.

* * *

They reached the recovery room and found Ria inspecting the needle in her arm and the pads of the heart monitor stuck to her chest. When she heard them, she tried to sit up but grimaced in pain. Baffled, she looked at the bandages on her stomach and started to peel them off.

"Oi!" Owen shouted. "Would you cut that out, please?" He went over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed and lightly slapping her hands away.

"Hey!" the girl exclaimed and started to pout.

"Doesn't work when Jack does it, won't work when you do it." the doctor stated, putting his hand on her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Absolutely brilliant!" she grinned.

"Of course." Owen said, rolling his eyes and getting up. "I guess you want to say hi?" he asked in John's direction.

"Hello, John." the girl said, this time sitting up succesfully and smiling up at the Captain innocently.

Much to the others horror, John slapped her across the face, looking beyond angry. "_An étis anxim te tyn!_" he yelled.

"What's wrong with you?" Gwen shoutet and Tosh stared at him, horrified.

Owen was about to pull him away, when Ria returned the gesture.

"Don't go all fatherly on me now, you twat!" she bit back.

They glared at each other for a moment, until Ria held out her arms to him and was immediately crushed to the man's chest.

"I'm sorry." she whimpered, burying her face in the crook of John's neck.

"I know." the Captain said, pulling away, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Me too. Par tutem." he stated, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Then each of her cheeks and finally her nose, making her giggle.

"Stop it, I'm not a child!" she exclaimed, trying to get away, only to receive another wave of kisses.

"Can I get in on that?" Jack grinned from the door where he stood with Ianto, who looked slightly irritated, much like Owen, Gwen and Tosh.

"Fine." Ria sighed, rolling her eyes and grinning in a very Harkness-like fashion.

Jack sat down on the other side of the bed, pulling her out of John's arms - much to the man's protest - and into a hug of his own.

"As sickeningly sweet as this is," Owen interrupted "I'm still a doctor and she's my patient, so would all of you be so kind and get the hell out so I can do my job?"

While Gwen, Tosh and Ianto nodded and left the doctor to do his work, Jack had a harder time getting the protesting John out of the room.

Once they were alone, Owen sat back down on the bed again, this time starting to peel the bandages off himself.

"Doesn't look too bad, the Slitheen Stitcher did a pretty good job."

"Slitheen Stitcher?" Ria raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you can thank teaboy for that. Anyway, this is going to heal just fine. The bullet missed any vital organs and with our studpidely named gadget, I was able to repair most of the damage. Just don't do anything that could tear open the stitches, all right?" She nodded. "The knee is another story. There's not much I could do apart from pulling out the little pieces of bone and trying to put the rest back together. It's going to take months and a lot of work before you'll be able to walk again properly. I put it in a cast, so you can theoretically get up _if_ you youse these." he said, pointing at a pair of crutches. Ria wrinkled her nose, but nodded again. "Your shoulder should be fine again soon, the knive I pulled out there didn't do too much damage. But again, keep an eye on the stitches and keep it low the next few days. You'll be knackered by the painkillers anyway." he finished.

He got up and took some new bandages out of a cabinet, returned to the bed and started to put them in place. "Well, that's it, I guess. Just rest now, all right? Do you want me to let your...fathers back in?" he asked, turning to the door.

"Wait." she said, grabbing him by the arm. "Have you told them about the other things?" she asked, biting her lower lip.

"No." he sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't know what your relation was and since you're technically an adult, I won't tell them either. But _you_ should."

"Thanks." she smiled at him gratefully.

"Yeah, whatever." he said as the door sprung open and Jack stormed in.

"Weevil alert, there are people injuried." he informed Owen, looking at his daughter, unsure what to do.

"I'm okay for a few hours, just going to sleep anyway, right doc?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine. I'll give her something to help her sleep, we'll be back before she even wakes up." Owen agreed.

"All right." Jack said reluctantly. "John will probably want to stay and watch after her. IANTO!" he yelled and the other man appeared a few seconds later.

"Yes, sir?" he asked.

"Can you keep an eye on John? Please?"

"Playing house with eye-candy? That's going to be fun!" John grinned, appearing behind them and causing Ianto to roll his eyes once more.

"Fine, I'll be down in the archives, don't try anything funny, Hart." he warned before leaving.

"All right, that's settled. Owen, grab your stuff, the girls and I will be waiting in the car." Jack ordered and they went to work.

* * *

**A/N:** So, we finally know who Ria is (very unexpected, I'm sure). Please review and tell me what you thought about it.

Also, I'm making up some kind of future language as I'm going. It consists of all the languages I speak, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and English, made to look a little more futuristic. The translations from this chapter:

_An étis anxim te tyn! - I was worried about you!_

_Par tutem. - About everything._


	10. Family

**Chapter Summary:** Some of Jack and John's family history is revealed.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, violence, gore, sex

* * *

**Chapter Seven - Family**

Ianto was down in the archives, finishing up some work and trying to get his head around the events of the day. Jack having a daughter was one thing. He had told him about Alice once and really, the man had lived more than one lifetime already, it would have been a miracle if there wasn't any other offspring running around. Granted, he didn't know a whole lot about Dorian, even less about her twin and what had happened to him, but that didn't bother him. Sure, all of this had been a shock and he had been pissed at first, but he had enough faith in Jack to know that he'd come to him and tell him about it whenever he was ready. He always did, after all.

The thing that had hurt him was something else; John. He'd never admit it to Jack, but he feared that John was the one person who would be able to take the immortal away from him completely. Besides the Doctor, that is. Sharing Jack was something he could live with easily, shagging someone and having feelings for someone were two completely different things. He knew that Jack didn't love him in the conventional way, he wasn't even sure it was a way he understood, but he knew that the Captain did care about him. What he had never believed, though, were Jacks affirmations that he didn't harbour any feelings for John anymore. As far as Ianto was concerned, Captain John Hart was one of the very few people Jack had ever _truly_ loved. Which had been kind of confirmed today by the fact that they had once chosen to start a family together. Ianto's biggest fear concerning Jack was that someday, he'd be off again, with John, choosing the adventures of time and space over Torchwood and him. And that fear had increased _very_ much since the both of them had found their lost daughter again.

And then there was John himself. Ianto hadn't doubted for a second that John was still head over heels for Jack. Again, this had been more or less confirmed today. Which made what had happened between them in the kitchen earlier even more confusing. His own reasons for kissing John were pretty obvious to him, he'd been angry at Jack for lying to them and John had pushed him over the edge. It didn't mean anything to him, it had been one of those 'in the heat of the moment' things. He didn't understand where John was coming from, though. He did have the reputation of being an intergalatic playboy and he had been hitting on him ever since the first time they'd met. But today had been different. Not only had the Captain told him his feelings for Jack, he had also claimed to care about _him_. Why would John care about him, Ianto, the archivist of Torchwood 3, one of the people standing between the Captain and Jack?

Sighing, he put away the rest of his work. He wasn't going to think about this, this day had been unusual enough already and his head was throbbing. He only hoped the others would be back soon, so that he could finally go home and catch some sleep. Even after all this time with Torchwood, he still wasn't used to being up for several days at once.

* * *

It was suspiciously quiet when Ianto came back up to the main area of the hub. Fearing the worst, he went to the recovery room and was relieved to find both Ria and John sleeping, the girl curled up in her fathers arms, tightly holding on to his shirt, while John was subconsciously caressing the back of her head. Benedict was lying on the end of the bed, curled up into a ball and snoring softly. Smiling, Ianto put a blanket over them, turned off the light, carefully closed the door and went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.

He was cleaning up in Jack's office half an hour later when he heard Owen over the comm.

_"Ianto?"_

"Yes, what's up?"

_"We just dropped Tosh and Gwen off and are on our way back."_

"No problems, then?"

Owen hesitated and Ianto could hear Jack hushing him.

_"No, just a few Weevils scaring the crap out of some teenagers hanging around near the sewer entrances. One of them got bitten, but it was nothing that yours truly and a bit of retcon couldn't handle. Anyway, we'll be back in about half an hour. Everything all right with you?"_

"John and Ria are sleeping, no problems."

_"Good, see ya."_

* * *

40 minutes later, Jack and Owen walked back into the hub, covered in mud, each of them carrying a sedated Weevil.

"Let me get that." Ianto said, running up to Owen and taking the alien off of him.

"I'm not made of glass, you know." he scowled and disappeared down to the med bay.

"He's been touchy recently."

"He's been through a lot, leave him alone."

"Ever since he died, you're always on his side." Jack pouted.

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Let's just put those two away."

* * *

Half an hour later, the Weevils were secured in the cells and Ianto and Jack were on their way back up.

"I'll be off then." Ianto said when they reached the hub's main area. "If I hurry home, I can still catch about two hours of sleep before coming back."

"I told the others not to come in tomorrow, I think we've all had a rough couple of days."

The archivist nodded, putting on his jacket and heading for the cog door.

"Yan..." Jack called after him, looking down at his feet when the other man turned back.

"What is it?"

"Will you stay? Please?"

"Sure." Ianto smiled, hanging his jacket back up.

Jack beamed, taking the other man's hand and pulling him up to his office.

"You're in a hurry." Ianto laughed, climbing down the ladder to the bunker, flopping down on the bed and kicking off his shoes.

He was joined by Jack, who hugged him tightly, snuggling to Ianto as close as possible and rested his forehead against the younger man's with a sigh.

"How did it happen this time?" Ianto asked, pulling back a little to be able to look at the immortal.

"Weevil pushed me off a bridge, broke my neck."

Ianto automatically reached out, touching Jack's neck, causing him to hiss. "Still sore?"

"A bit." he admitted.

"You haven't been overwhelmed by a Weevil in a while, you know?"

Jack didn't answer and instead buried his face in Ianto's chest.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Again, Ianto didn't get an answer and found himself pressed into the bed with Jack on top of him, starting to unbutton his shirt.

"Hey, slow do-" he began, only to be silenced with a kiss, Jack pressing his groin against his, causing him to moan.

Jack soon broke the kiss and sat up, getting rid of his shirt and giving Ianto the opportunity to do the same. Lying back down, he kissed his way from Ianto's jaw down his chest and stomach until he reached the waistband of his pants. He had the belt open in no time, ridding the younger man of the rest of his clothing. Positioning himself between his legs, Jack continued to caress the inside of his thighs, kissing his way up to Ianto's arousal, liking it from the shaft to the tip, before taking it in his mouth, making the other man moan again. He started moving his head and almost immediately, Ianto started thrusting his hips. It didn't take long until the younger man's breath became hitched and he grabbed Jack's hair, crying out in pleasure.

Not granting him a break, Jack moved back up, pressing a sloppy kiss to Ianto's mouth while reaching for the lube. Nibbling on his bottom lip, the Captain started preparing the other man. After finishing up, he nudged Ianto with his nose, causing him to open his eyes and look at him. Smiling down at him, he placed a hand on the archivists cheek, kissing him tenderly while slowly entering him. Putting his hands on Jack's hips, Ianto pulled him deeper inside him, enjoying the sensation, throwing his head back with a moan. Jack started to move, steadily increasing his pace, while Ianto crossed his legs behind the immortal's back. Reaching under the younger man with one arm, Jack tried to pull him even closer, reaching his climax with a loud cry, before pressing his lips to Ianto's again and collapsing on top of him, panting and shivering.

Ianto closed his arms around Jack, letting out a satisfied sigh. Jack nuzzled his face into the crook of Ianto's neck, lightly stroking his stomach.

Ianto was almost asleep when Jack started talking.

"He killed himself."

It took the younger man a few seconds before he realised what the Captain was talking about. Swallowing hard, he hugged the other a man a little tighter, but kept quiet, not wanting to say anything to stop Jack from sharing.

"They came back here for the summer." the immortal continued. "I hadn't seen them for a couple of months and I realised that something was wrong as soon as they walked through the door. They were different, sad and introvert, the complete opposite of their usual selfs. They clinged together even more than usual, which was almost impossible, believe me." he said, smiling at the memory. "I tried talking to them, of course, but I couldn't get _anything_ out of them. I called John's family, where they still spent most of their time, and was told that they had grown considerably quiter over the last weeks. John's parents had tried to find out more, but they had refused to talk about it. Not even John knew what was going on and he'd always been closest to them."

Sliding off the other man, Jack turned to his side, facing the wall. Ianto cuddled up to him, Jack's back pressed to his front.

"What happened?" he asked softly, kissing his shoulder.

"Dallin was on the lower levels, feeding some of our 'residents'. I was in my office with Dorian, going over some resumes - I hadn't hired anyone new yet, since I became leader of Torchwood - and she was reading. Suddenly, she jumped up with a horrified look and started running, yelling 'He's dead!' over and over again. I ran after her and when we reached the lower levels, there he was, lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. He had shot himself in the head. There was nothing I could do, I was shocked, Dorian was screaming at me do help him, but-" his voice broke.

Ianto turned Jack around, hugging him to his chest, trying hard not to cry. "I'm sorry Jack. I'm so, so sorry!" he murmured.

"I blame myself." Jack continued in a weak voice.

"It wasn't your fault." Ianto tried to console him, but Jack shook his head.

"As soon as you start at one of the Academies, they begin to train you in different forms of what you'd call martial arts and you get a personalized set of weapons. I know, it sounds strange to give 12-year old kids guns and the like, but the future is _very_ different. Education is more like becoming a soldier than anything else. John and I were thinking about sending them to school here, in the 21st century, but they were too different, it would never have worked and so we decided to send them to Orion, even though we had our doubts. If I had kept them here, none of this would have happened. It was _my fault_ that Dallin even had the opportunity to...to do what he did." he sighed.

"That's not true!" Ianto protested. "If people are so desperate that they want to end their life, they _always_ find a way, no matter what."

"But I should've seen it coming, I should've done something!" the immortal exclaimed, frustrated.

"When I was 12," Ianto began "my cousin killed herself. She hanged herself in her parent's garage. She had been depressed and in therapy for years. Still, no one, not even her psychiatrist, suspected that she would ever harm herself. Sometimes, people are so good at hiding their true emotions, there's no way of knowing what they're really going through."

"That's why Ria blamed herself."

"What do you mean?" Ianto asked confused.

"There are a few reasons why they couldn't be raised here. First of all, it was hard enough to keep them a secret from the government, UNIT and everyone else. It was only possible with the help of the Torchwood team we had back then. I don't even want to think about what they would've tried to do if they had found out that two guys from the future, one of them immortal, had produced children. It's impossible for me to pass on my immortality, but I don't think they would have cared about that." Ianto could hear the dislike for the authorities in Jack's voice. "Apart from that, letting kids run around the hub and all of _this_ permanently didn't really seem like a good idea. And then there was the part about them being different. By the 51st century, humans had reproduced with almost every species possible. Over the centuries, this caused a lot of, let's say abilities, to be passed on to humans from the other races."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know what's coming now?" he asked.

"It's not that bad." Jack said, grinning for the first time since he had started talking. "I'm not going to tell you about all of it, there's way too much and you wouldn't believe half of it anyway. But you know how my senses are much better than those of an average 21st century human?" Ianto nodded. "That's one of the minor 'mutations', like the pheromones. Dallin and Dorian got a bit more."

"Like what?" Now Ianto was curious.

"Like telepathy."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope, I'm very serious." Jack laughed at Ianto's disbelief.

"So you're telling me that she can read my mind?"

"It doesn't work like they show it in the movies." he chuckled. "Most of the time, you'll realise if someone's trying to get in your head and be able to kick them out."

"That's a relief."

"And you need a very strong emotional bond to a person, otherwise it's insanely difficult and tiring to try and read someone's mind."

"So Ria thought she should have seen what's coming, since her and her brother were inseparable?" Ianto assumed.

"Yes." Jack confirmed, turning serious again. "I wasn't able to convince her that she didn't have to blame herself. She locked herself in their room, the one I always refused to talk about, for days. When she finally emerged, she seemed to be..._fine_. I was more than suspicious, of course, but she wanted to see John and her grandparents, so I let her go. After about a week, John's parents called, asking if she had returned to me all right. I said she never came back, that I thought she was still with them. That's when we realised that she had run off. We tried everything, but you can imagine that it's nearly impossible to find someone in all of space and time. It didn't help that she's brilliant either, we didn't have a chance of finding her. She left, just like that." he said, his voice starting to shake again. "She was barely _14_, Ianto! And she just went and left, never to be heard of or seen again until today."

"But she's back now." Ianto said.

"For now." Jack sighed.

They lie entangled for a while, neither of them saying anything, just holding on to each other for comfort. But suddenly, Jack sat up, looking at Ianto with a very child-like expression. "You're not going to leave me, are you, Yan?" he asked, scared.

"What...no, of course not." Ianto said perplexed, sitting up as well and pressing a kiss to the Captain's lips.

"Good!" Jack beamed. "Now, tell me why I could taste John in your mouth?" he smirked, indicating that he was done talking about his children.

* * *

_[after everyone's day off]_

"Conference room, now!" Jack yelled down from his office.

The team members looked at each other, puzzled, but complied.

"All right." Jack said when everyone had taken their seats around the table. "I realise that what happened the last few days was a bit intense."

"Yeah, a bit." Owen snorted.

Ignoring the doctor, Jack continued. "This is not going to be easy for John and me, so please, just let us finish. You can ask questions later."

"What's wrong?" Tosh asked concerned.

"Please, just listen." he repeated, looking at John, who nodded.

* * *

Jack looked around at his team. Ianto seemed just as upset as the first time he had heard the story. Gwen was fighting back tears, a hand clasped over her mouth. Tosh had grown considerably paler and even Owen looked shocked, absently running his fingers through his hair.

"Hell." the doctor finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry, mate."

"You should have told us, Jack." Toshiko added. "We would have been there for you, all of us."

"Yes." Gwen agreed. "You don't have to suffer on your own, you bloody idiot."

They all turned their heads when John got up and quickly left the room.

"I got it." Ianto smiled at Jack, who nodded thankfully.

* * *

He found John down in the cells, sitting on the floor, watching Janet.

"Can't a man have a minute to himself?"

Ianto didn't answer and sat down next to the Captain.

"Seriously, leave me alone, eye-candy."

"You don't have to suffer on your own either, you know?!"

"What? Are we gonna _'talk about my feelings'_ now?"

"That's what people normally do if they're upset."

"I'm not normal people."

"You don't say?!" Ianto grinned.

"Shut up." the other man chuckled, taking the younger one's hand.

* * *

"Is he going to be fine?" Tosh asked, looking after John.

"It's Captain bloody Hart, he'll manage."

"Don't be so insensitive, Owen." Gwen scolded him. "The man just told us about the death of his son, I think he has a right to be upset."

"Jack," Tosh interrupted, not wanting to give the other two a chance to start fighting again "what happened afterwards?"

"I put my son's body in cryo and went looking for my daughter. Returned after a few months and started hiring new people."

"And you really never heard of her again?" Owen wondered.

"Not until two days ago, no. And I never thought that I would see her again either."

"What happened to her?" Gwen mused.

"I wish I knew." Jack sighed.

* * *

"I've never been good at sharing." John said after a while.

"You don't say?" Ianto repeated, laughing.

"Funny." the Captain grinned, rolling his eyes. "It's just easier to keep to yourself."

"Don't have to tell me about that. Sometimes it does help to talk, though."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"You could start by telling me why you feel responsible for what happened."

"Who says I do feel responsible?"

Ianto looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine." the other man sighed. "But why wouldn't I? How would you feel if your son had blasted his brains out?"

"Sad, hurt, numb, shocked, terrified?"

"That pretty much sums it up, yeah."

"But that doesn't make it your fault."

"I was, no, I still am a lousy parent. It's no wonder he did what he did."

"What makes you say that?"

John laughed bitterly. "Well, let's see. First of all, I was drunk when we decided to have kids. So was Jack, by the way. Awesome way to start a family, isn't it?"

"Making a kid while drunk? Doesn't sound that unusual to me." Ianto smirked.

"Yeah, well, maybe not. But running away the next morning surely isn't what most people do."

"No." Ianto agreed. "But you did go back?"

"After a few days. I mean, I couldn't just leave them, could I? Would not have been fair to them and Jack."

"That does sound like good parenting to me."

"Didn't have much of a choice anyway. Caught in a time loop, remember?"

"Don't make yourself look worse than you are. What happened after you came back?"

"A lot of yelling and make up sex." John said with a smirk.

"I meant _after_ that." Ianto rolled his eyes.

"We actually were a pretty normal family for a while. Until we got out of that bloody time loop, that is." he said sadly.

"You broke up?"

"Jack was the one who just up and left! I wanted to go back to the 51st century, try and give them some normality. But no, the almighty Captain Harkness_ had_ to get back to Torchwood."

"He feels responsable for-"

"More than for his freakin' family?" John yelled, frustrated.

Not really knowing what to say to that, Ianto just pulled the other man closer, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

* * *

"But Jack," Tosh inquired "if she has killed one of those former time agents, won't the others come and look for her? What's her involvement in this?"

"Yeah, she was born way after your time in the agency, what does she have to do with all of that?" Owen added.

"I really don't know." Jack admitted.

"Do you think it has something to do with, well, with what happened before Dallin killed himself?" Gwen asked.

"What did that man say before she killed him?" Tosh tried to remember. "Something about this not being over yet? And what was that word. Frer...frer-something?"

"Frer-im." Jack said, eyes growing wide. "I almost forgot about that."

"What does it mean?" Gwen asked.

"Brother. It means brother!" Jack said, jumping up and starting to pace around the room.

"So there is a connection?!"

"Yes, Owen, there probably is. I can't imagine how, though." he said, rubbing his face.

"Why don't you ask her?" Gwen suggested.

"No! I don't want any of you to go and question her about it. The most important thing is that she's back here and safe. Do you understand me?" he said, looking at them warningly.

They all nodded.

* * *

"What happened next?" Ianto asked, after John seemed to have calmed down a little.

"I was pissed and scared and did what I always do in situations like that. I ran. My parents were thrilled to take them in, didn't think I was up to being a father anyway. So Jack and I brought them there and went our seperate ways. He went back to Torchwood and I started to shag my way from planet to planet. I went to visit every so often, but I couldn't bring myself to stay. I abandoned them." he sighed.

"No you didn't!" the younger man insisted. "The situation could have been better, but it sounds like they grew up in a loving home. And Ria doesn't seem to hold anything against you. From what I've seen - which isn't all that much, but still - she loves both you and Jack."

"Maybe, but we don't deserve it."

"Yes you do. You're not a bad person. Just a little screwed up." Ianto teased.

"Fuck you, eye-candy!" John laughed and launched himself at the archivist, pinning him to the ground.

"You're ruining my suit." he protested.

"I'll buy you a knew one." John winked, leaning down and capturing Ianto's mouth in a kiss.

"Just let me know when you're finished." Jack smirked, casually leaning in the door.

"Cockblocker." John grinned, getting up and offering Ianto his hand.

"Get out." the immortal grinned.

Not without rolling his eyes, John left the other two men alone.

"I'm sorry." Ianto said, blushing slightly.

"What for?"

"Dunno, felt like the thing to say when you're making out with a guy and your...well, _you_ walk in." he shrugged.

Laughing, Jack pulled Ianto into a hug. "There's nothing to be sorry for. He does have a certain appeal."

"I'm not attracted to him!" the younger man exclaimed.

"It's fine, really." Jack assured him. "As long as you still think I'm hotter, that is."

"You're an idiot." Ianto sighed.

"Can I still get a kiss?" Jack asked innocently, sneaking his hands around Ianto's waist and squeezing his ass. "Doesn't seem fair that he gets all the action."

"He didn't get any-" he tried to protest, but Jack quickly pressed their lips together, effecitively silencing him. Ianto wrapped his arms around the immortal's neck, pulling him closer.

They were interrupted by Jack's wrist strap beeping.

"Ok, I _really_ don't like that sound." Ianto groaned, stepping back.

"Me neither." Jack sighed, pressing a few buttons.

"Are you shitting me?" John exclaimed, walking back into the room. "Did you call them?"

"I didn't do anything!" Jack said, holding his hands up in defence.

"Ria." John groaned and started to walk back up to the main area, followed by Jack and Ianto.

"What's wrong?" the latter one asked.

"Looks like we're going to have a family reunion." Jack grinned, earning himself a slap from John.

Ianto looked at the two other men, puzzled. But before he had the chance to ask any more questions, they reached the main area, where Tosh and Gwen were already waiting, looking confused.

"Jack," Gwen started "there are two, ehrm, gentlemen outside, requesting entrance to see Dorian."

"Ianto, would you go up to the Tourist Office and let them in?"

"Shut it, Jack!" John warned. "Just pretend like we're not here."

"Yeah, like that's going to work."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Let them in?"

"This is not funny, Jack!" he growled.

"Hell, what is going on up here?" Owen asked, coming out of the recovery room.

"We seem to have some visitors." Tosh said.

"Oh, you mean Ria's grandparents?" the doctor asked, earning himself confused looks from Gwen, Ianto and Tosh and an icy stare from John. "What?" he shrugged, looking at John. "She wanted to let them know that she's fine, what's wrong with that? She's been gone for years, I thought they'd be glad to hear from her?"

"I agree." Jack said, while John continued to curse. "Let's go and say hello."

* * *

"Are you serious?" Owen said, looking at Jack disbelievingly. "That is just a giant cat!"

"That's a little hurtful." the man grinned. "Jack, good to see you!"

"You too, Leo!" the immortal smiled, capturing him in a hug. "And you, sir!" he added, saluting the second newcomer.

"No need to be so formal, I'm off duty." the man laughed, crushing him to his chest.

"Ehm, hello?!" Gwen said shyly from behind them.

"Oh, excuse my bad manners." the first man said, taking her hand and kissing it. "Leopold Ramsy Hart, it's a pleasure to meet you." he smiled. "And this is my husband, Siger." he added, putting his arm around the other man's waist.

"This is my team." Jack said proudly. "Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato, Ianto Jones and Owen Harper." he introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you." Siger smiled at them.

"Are you finished already?!" John groaned.

"Don't start, John!" Leo warned. "Behave, both of you." he added with a meaningful look at his husband. "Now, would you please give your father a hug?"

Looking less than thrilled, John let the older man embrace him.

"It's good to see you." Leo said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever." John said, shrugging him off and standing back next to Ianto, looking around and taking the younger man's hand when he was sure no one was able to see.

A little irritated, Ianto looked at the Captain, but gently squeezed his hand when he saw the clear discomfort in the older man's face.

"Now, where's my baby girl?" Leo asked with a huge smile.

* * *

"Pap!" Ria exclaimed happily when Leo and Siger walked into the room, followed by Jack and John, who still looked extremely unhappy about the whole situation.

"Myn estell'en!" Leo smiled, sitting down on the bed next to her. "What in Oni's name were you thinking?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"The most important thing is that she's back again." Siger said, joining them.

Ria looked down at her hands, playing with the edge of her blanket.

"Don't worry," Siger smiled at her "we're not angry."

"You should be." she sighed. "An étir excusim."

"Come here." Siger said, hugging her close. "We're just glad you're back."

"And since we're here," Leo added "let me take a look at that leg."

* * *

"The dude's a giant cat!" Owen exclaimed a while later, while the team was sitting in the conference room, giving Ria, Jack, John and his parents some privacy.

"Don't be rude, Owen!" Tosh scolded.

"Well, it's true!"

"We've seen walking blowfish, but this is too weird for you?" Gwen grinned.

"And he seems like a good doctor." Ianto added.

"He's cheating." Owen snorted.

"Since when is using alien tech cheating? You do it all the time."

"Shut up teaboy!"

"You're just pissed that he fixed Ria's leg up in less than 10 minutes." Ianto smirked.

"Some gay space cat swoops in and heals my patients using tech I don't know? Of course I'm pissed! And he didn't fix it, she'll still be in pain for weeks."

"But she can walk again." Gwen pointed out.

"Whatever." the doctor grumbled.

A few seconds later, they were startled by yelling coming from the main area. Walking out to the balcony, they could see John and Siger, both of them looking furious, shouting at each other in the foreign language they assumed was some sort of 51st century universal language.

They were followed by Leo, Jack and Ria, who - to Owen's satisfaction - was using the crutches he had given her.

"Gramps, John, cut it out." the girl groaned.

"Siger, leave the boy alone." Leo agreed.

"We should take her home with us!" Siger shouted.

"She's _my_ daughter!" John growled.

"That didn't stop you from dumping her with us 15 years ago."

"Well, that was just as much my fault." Jack interjected, trying to calm them down.

"You had other responsibilities, Jack." Siger said.

"So it's ok if _he_ leaves his family?"

"Yes, in those circumstances, it was, John!"

"_That's enough already!_" Leo stopped them. "It was absolutely brilliant to see you, sweetheart." he added, turning to Ria and kissing her on the cheek. "But you'll have to promise me one thing; no running off! All right?"

She nodded, hugging him and, much to Owen's amusement, scratching him behind his ear.

"And you," he said to John "take care of her, do you understand?"

Not saying anything, the Captain turned around and walked away, grumbling something that sounded a lot like curses.

"You and I, we're leaving." Leo finally said, taking his husband's hand. "I'll be back soon, not sure if I'm bringing him, though." he warned Siger. "Look after John and Ria, will you, Jack?" he smiled at the immortal and pulled his husband out of the cog door.

"Well, that was fun." Ria rolled her eyes and plopped down on the next best chair.

"And it's getting even better." Jack groaned, staring at his wrist strap. "Those weevils are suspiciously active lately. Let's get going. Ianto-"

"Yes, I'll babysit your ex."

"Thanks." the other man smiled. "And you," he added, looking at his daughter. "Get back to bed."

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you liked this chapter. Tell me what you think? And please leave some comments, I'd like to know if you're reading and enjoying this.

Translations for this chapter:

_Myn estell'en! - My star!_

_An étir excusim. - I am sorry._


	11. New Beginnings

**Chapter Summary:** Something develops between Ianto and John and Jack decides to take action.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing (as usual, really), sexy times

* * *

**Chapter Eight - New Beginnings **

"I'm really sorry." Ria said while Ianto was helping her back into bed. "About all of this."

"What do you mean?" he asked, a little confused.

"The chaos, my family, you having to play babysitter for John and me."

"It's fine."

"You're just saying that because you're polite." she grinned. "I'm also sorry about bringing Jack and John together again." she added, turning serious. "That must really suck for you."

"It's all right, we're not a couple or anything like that." he said, a little taken aback.

"Doesn't change the fact that you're in love with him. And since you reek of John, I'm guessing things have gotten even weirder since we arrived."

"You can smell that?" Ianto blushed.

"Don't worry, it's fine." she smiled. "Just, don't let them hurt you, all right?"

"You're...you're worried about _me_?"

"I know my fathers." she sighed.

"I'm fine." he smiled at her. "Really, I am!" he added, when she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm serious, Ianto."

"Really, I'm all right." he tried to assure her. "Now, can I get you anything or will you be okay?"

"Can you stay here until I fall asleep?"

"What..? I guess." he said, awkwardly standing there.

"Oh come on, don't be shy, sit down." Ria laughed, pulling him down on the bed. "You kissed me once, remember?" she smirked.

"Oh God..." Ianto groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Grinning, she snuggled close to him.

Not sure what to do, Ianto put an arm around her, holding her close. Sighing happily, Ria nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.

"Why do I smell bacon and cinnamon?" Ianto asked after a while, suddenly feeling groggy.

"Pheromones. Sometimes they're kinda hard to control. Sorry."

"It's fine." he said sleepily. "Do you mind if I stay here for a bit?"

"Not at all." she smiled, pressing a kiss on his lips before resting her head on his chest.

* * *

John was down in the shooting range, taking his anger and frustration out on the cardboard aliens. They didn't trust him alone in the hub, but left him his weapons. He had to grin at the irony. But that grin vanished almost immediately when his thoughts wandered back to the two men who had visited the hub earlier. He loved his parents, he really did, but their relationship had always been difficult. While Leo was always suffocating him with his loving and caring nature, Siger was a typical military man, taking his duties and responsibilities extremely serious. His priorities had always been the job, John and his brothers had barely ever seen him when they were kids. He didn't hold this against his father, but now that man was telling him that he had screwed up his family by not being there. After he had been doing the exact same thing for years. John had been working too, after all. Not particularly legal work, but work nontheless.

With a frustrated growl, he fired another shot between the eyes of a weevil. This didn't do the trick, he needed another way to vent his anger. Putting the guns away, he made his way back up to the recovery room. When he got there, Ria was snuggled up to Ianto, while the man was hugging her close to his chest, unconsciously stroking her back, both of them sleeping peacefully. Careful not to wake her, John kissed her forehead. He was about to pull away when he thought 'Why the hell not?' and pressed another kiss to Ianto's lips.

Confused, Ianto opened his eyes just as John was moving back.

"Were you...kissing me just now?"

"Ehrm...no?!" the Captain grinned innocently.

"Yeah right." Ianto said, rolling his eyes and getting up. "I need a coffee, I'm exhausted."

"How about a bite to eat instead?" John asked, following the other man to the little kitchen.

"I can order some pizza?"

"Actually, I was thinking about cooking."

"You? Seriously?"

"_Hey!_ I'm an excellent cook, thank you very much!"

"I believe that when I see it." Ianto smirked.

"Give me half an hour."

"The only thing in the fridge are some Chinese leftovers and we have a single hotplate somewhere in one of the cabinets."

"You'll be surprised." John winked.

"Whatever." the younger man grinned, walking away.

* * *

He was absorbed in some paperwork when John put a plate in front of him, grinning like a child.

"What's this?" Ianto asked, suspiciously raising an eyebrow.

"Tagliatelle with smoked salmon sauce."

"And you did all this in 40 minutes, from scratch, without a kitchen or ingredients?"

"Yes."

Looking at the meal, Ianto started to poke at it with a fork.

"Just eat it, I'm not trying to poison you." the Captain said, hopping onto the desk and starting to eat from his own plate.

"Are you for real?"

"Of course." John smiled.

Still a little confused, Ianto took a bite and was pleasantly surprised. "This is really good. How did you manage that again?"

"I'm just brilliant." John smirked.

They ate in silence, but as soon as Ianto was finished, John hopped off the table, taking his hand and pulling him up.

"How about dessert?" John winked at him and before the younger man had a chance to say something, the Captain had pressed their lips together. This time, Ianto did nothing to escape the other man and instead put his hands on his hips, pulling him closer. He could feel a satisfied grin form on John's lips and swiped his tongue over his mouth, requestin access, which he was granted immediately. Taking a few steps forward, John lightly pushed Ianto until his back hit the desk. Reaching around his waist, he lifted the other man up, sitting him on the edge of the desk and started to losen his tie, all the while never breaking the kiss.

When they finally had to break for air, John started to place kisses along Ianto's jawline, opening his shirt and stroking his sides. Getting rid of his own jacket and shirt, John pushed him down so he was lying on the desk and began to kiss his way down the other's chest and stomach, but was stopped just before reaching the waistband of Ianto's trousers.

"Sorry...I can't...it's just...sorry." the archivist stammered, pushing John away, getting up and fixing his clothes.

"It's because of Jack, isn't it?"

Ianto didn't answer, looking down at his feet while redoing his tie.

"Of course it is." the Captain sighed. "He's screwing around all the time, but you're still the loyal and faithful _'boyfriend'_. He doesn't deserve you."

"And you do?" Ianto growled, growing angry.

"I would treat you so much better than he does."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"I'm serious, Ianto." John said, stepping closer and putting his arms around the other man again.

"I love him." the archivist whispered, barely audible.

"But you'll never get him, he'll keep running and pushing you away."

"I know he cares about me!" Ianto shouted, getting out of John's embrace.

"I'm not saying he doesn't." the Captain groaned frustrated. "He will never be able to tell you, though. Do you want to spend your life with someone who can't even show you how much you mean to him?"

"And I suppose you're Mr Perfect and that's why I should just start shagging you instead of Jack?" Ianto snorted.

"It's not about sex-"

"Don't make me laugh!"

"It isn't!" John yelled, cupping Ianto's face in his hands. "You are a beautiful and amazing man and deserve someone who treats you like that. I care about you, I really do."

"You don't know me and you're still in love with Jack, you told me so yourself. What the hell are you playing at? What is this here?" the younger man asked, pushing the Captain's hands away.

"I'll always love Jack. But I know he doesn't feel the same way, so I'm moving on."

"On to me?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" John groaned, running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm a nobody, you're a space slut. From where I'm standing, that doesn't look like a good match."

"There's nothing wrong with having fun while you're single. Or in an open relationship, for that matter. But that's not what I want in the long run." he said, putting his hand on the side of Ianto's face again. "And you are not a nobody. You are not insignificant. Don't let Jack make you feel that way. You are special and if your Captain can't see that, he's a fucking idiot." he ranted, before carefully kissing Ianto again, this time very slowly and full of emotion.

And the younger man let him, trying to make sense of the whole situation. When he pulled away, John was looking at him lovingly and that's when it hit Ianto. He was falling for John. Despite his feelings for Jack, he was starting to fall for John. He couldn't do this. One 51st century playboy was more than enough and if there was one thing he couldn't believe, it was that John was being serious about all of this. Everyone knew the man was just after a shag and, granted, he was hot and Ianto was kind of curious, but he couldn't do this to Jack, not with his ex.

"I'm sorry." the younger man finally said. "I really am, but I can't do this. I love him."

"Fine, whatever." John yelled, grabbing his clothes and walking away to the cog door.

"John, really, I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am." the Captain sighed, walking out of the door, leaving behind a disoriented Ianto.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ianto was bringing a plate of John's pasta to the recovery room for Ria. He felt numb and was praying that she wouldn't pick up on his state of mind.

"Thought you might be hungry." he smiled at her, setting the food down on the bedside table.

"Thank you." she smiled back at him, but turned serious, tilting her head when she saw the forced expression on his face. "Which one of them and what did he do?" she asked, pulling at his arm, motioning him to sit down on the edge of the bed.

_'So much for her not noticing.'_ he thought. "It's nothing." he tried, nevertheless sitting down.

"Don't even try." she said, rolling her eyes. "Okay, let's see if I can put this together myself. Jack isn't here, so I guess it must have been John who did something. This looks like he made it, but since I only get a lukewarm plate and you're bringing it to me, he didn't make it for me, so..._oooooooooh!_"

"There's nothing to 'ooooooh' about."

"But there is! He told you he likes you, didn't he?"

"Maybe."

"Which actually means 'Yes.'?"

Ianto nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"And you like him too, I gather?"

"How do you do this?"

"I'm brilliant." she grinned, holding her arms open for him. "Come here."

He wanted to protest, but she was having none of that, pulling him down herself. With a sigh, Ianto positioned himself more comfortably, burying his face in her hair.

"Don't let them drive you nuts, Yan."

"That's easier said than done."

"Oh, I know, believe me."

"I don't know what to do."

"Well, it depends on what you want."

"What do you mean?" he asked confused, pulling back a little and looking at her.

"Jack isn't good at committing to someone, as you've _probably_ noticed. He has lost too many people, some of them to Torchwood, others through accidents, but most by simply outliving them. With everyone who died, he has become more and more scared to show his feelings until he just stopped doing so completely. This doesn't mean he can't love, though, not at all. He cares about you a lot, that much is obvious. How much he'll ever be able to show you, I can't really say. I think it's possible to get through to him and you have already started to do so. John, on the other hand, is nothing like his reputation. Sure, the shagging every species he's ever encountered part is true, but if he commits to someone, he does so altogether. He's loving, compassionate and caring about the people he loves. He has his faults, but he'd do anything for the man he loves."

"How did the two of them ever work out together?"

"They never really did." she grinned.

"How come you're the most mature of the three of you?" Ianto grinned back.

"Someone has to be the adult." she laughed. "Look, I know how difficult Jack is, but he's worth the trouble. Sure, John would be the easy way out, but let's be honest here; it has always been Jack."

"I love him so much." Ianto sighed. "But I don't know if I'm up to the challange. Every time I try to get to him, he pushes me away. And John, I don't know about him. It's hard to believe that he actually cares about me and crushes don't count, right?"

"Ah, so you were listening to me."

"I was not that drunk." he laughed. "I never thought that I would say this, but why can't Jack be a bit more like John?"

"So take them both, sounds like the perfect solution." Ria smirked.

"You're unbelievable, they're you're parents!"

"Hey, we're 51st century people, a lot of families have more than two parents. My friend Hram'in has 3 mothers and 4 sisters. Poor bastard."

"You're crazy." Ianto grinned, pulling her close again. "And you're using those pheromones again to make me talk, aren't you?"

"Just a little bit."

"Thanks." he whispered, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"You're welcome, Yanni." she smiled, nudging his nose with her own.

"Yanni?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Suits you."

"Just don't let the others catch you say that, I won't hear the end of it." he grinned.

"Hear the end of what?" Jack asked, walking into the room.

"Nothing." Ianto quickly said, getting up. "If you're back now, is it all right if I leave for the night?" he asked, avoiding to look at the immortal.

"Can you just wait in my office for a minute? I'd like to talk to you."

"Sure, fine." the younger man said, rushing out of the room.

"What's up with him?" Jack asked confused, sitting down on Ria's bed.

"You don't want to know." she sighed.

"What happened?" Jack asked concerned.

"What do you think happened?" Ria said, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What did he do?" the Captain groaned, lying down next to his daughter and rubbing his face.

"You really should talk to Ianto."

"Seriously, what happened? I haven't seen him shaken up like that in a long time."

"It's not my place to tell, talk to him." she repeated.

"Fine." Jack sighed, getting up. "Are you gonna eat that?" he asked, pointing at the pasta.

"Nah, not hungry."

Taking a bite, Jack wrinkled his nose. "It's cold."

"You don't say?" she laughed.

"Smartass."

"Jack?!"

"What?"

"Don't let him go, he's good for you."

"I'm not planning on-"

"But you're going to, if you don't get your shit together."

"I know." Jack murmured before walking out the door.

* * *

Ianto was sitting on the couch in Jack's office, feeling terrible. He wasn't ready to face either Jack or John, this had all been way too confusing. He only knew that he didn't want to lose the immortal, but he wasn't sure if he could make this work. His idea of a relationship was totally different from Jack's and a relationship was what he wanted in the long run. Or wasn't it? He couldn't keep shagging Jack and hiding his feelings, that wouldn't be fair to himself.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts, that he didn't notice the immortal entering and sitting down next to him.

"Is everything all right?" Jack asked, putting a hand on Ianto's shoulder, effectively startling him.

"I'm fine, just tired." he said, shrugging of the other man's hand.

"There's a bed right down that ladder." Jack winked at him.

"I just want to go home, all right?" the archivist snapped. "Now, what did you need to talk about?"

"Nothing in particular, I thought it would be nice to have a bit of time to ourselves with the others gone for the night." the Captain shrugged, moving closer and placing a hand on Ianto's knee.

"I'm not your on call shag, Jack. Just...I don't know, find someone else for tonight, I'm leaving." he yelled, getting up.

"What's wrong with you?" Jack asked, taken aback by the usually quiet man's outburst.

"Nothing. I'm not in the mood, all right? You're not irresistible and I have a life of my own, you realise that, don't you?" he kept shouting.

"What did John do?"

"This has nothing to do with John freakin' Hart!" Ianto groaned, opening the office door.

"Don't walk out on me like that!" Jack said, grabbing him by the arm.

"Leave me alone, Jack." the younger man warned, ripping his arm out of Jack's hand, storming out of the office.

Not thinking for a second, the immortal grabbed his coat and followed him out. He reached him up in the Tourist Office and yanked him around. "What the hell is your problem?" he demanded.

"You are, Jack."

"What have I done?" he asked confused.

"Piss off." Ianto groaned, turning around and walking out the door. He was surprised about his own anger, he hadn't meant to snap at Jack like that, but he couldn't help himself.

"Ianto, wait." Jack called after him and the younger man turned around.

"What?" he asked impatiently.

"Don't be angry with me, please, Yan?!" he pleaded, looking at the archivist with a pained expression.

Ianto had expected a lot of things, but not for the other man to look like he was close to tears. They've had fights before, but they had always ended with both of them screaming at each other and make up sex the next day. This was new.

"I didn't mean to-" Ianto began, but Jack had already crossed the distance between them, pulled him into his arms and pressed their lips together.

"I'm sorry." Jack breathed. "Please, don't leave, I'm sorry."

"I can't spend every night here, Jack." he sighed. "I don't have any clean clothes anymore."

"That's not what I meant." the immortal said sheepishly, looking down at the coat he still had in his hands.

"Jack, what..." the younger man began, but didn't know how to finish. "Why would you think that I was going to leave?"

The immortal didn't answer, kicking away a pebble.

"Oh Jack." Into sighed, pulling him into a hug.

"Can I come home with you tonight?" the older man asked, hopefully.

"What about Ria?"

"She's probably sleeping again. And Owen's somewhere in the hub, he's on rift duty. He'll call if something important comes up."

"All right." Ianto smiled at him and clearly relieved, Jack took his hand.

"Let's walk." the Captain smiled, pulling Ianto along.

* * *

They reached Ianto's appartment after a nice and comfortable walk through the city and, much to Jack's pleasant surprise, Ianto hadn't let go of his hand the whole time. Normally he was extremely careful not to show any signs of affection out in public, it had been a simple kiss that had ruined their first and only real date. He had tried to ask the younger man out again, but somehow he never found the right moment.

"Are you hungry?" Ianto asked.

"I'm fine."

"Have you eaten anything yet?"

"No." the immortal admitted.

"That's what I thought." Ianto said, shaking his head. "You're going to starve one day."

"Happened before." Jack grinned.

"Idiot." the other man laughed. "Sandwiches all right?" he asked, looking in his fridge. "Didn't really have time to shop the last few days."

Jack nodded, stretching in his chair.

It only took a few minutes until Ianto dropped a plate in front of Jack and they began to eat.

"I need a shower after this." Ianto said, wrinkling his nose.

"You smell fine." Jack laughed.

"I've been sleeping in my suit, I _really_ need a shower!"

"I have a better idea." Jack smiled, taking the rest of his sandwich and heading off to the bathroom.

Rolling his eyes, Ianto finished his own dinner, cleaned up the table and started the dishwasher.

"Are you coming?!" the immortal yelled from the other room.

Grinning at Jack's impatiance, Ianto opened the door and his jaw dropped. The light was dimmed and there were candles on the floor, lining up the way to the tub where the other man was lying, casually smirking up at him.

"Are you just going to stand there?" he teased.

Still not knowing what to say, Ianto shed his clothes and got into the water, leaning his back against the other man. "This is nice." he sighed happily, letting his head fall back on Jack's shoulder.

"Thought you might like it." the older man smiled, sneaking his hands around Ianto's stomach and placing a kiss on his shoulder.

"This isn't like you. It's almost romantic."

"Almost? I'm hurt!" Jack laughed.

Turning around in the older man's arms, Ianto put a hand on the back of his head, pulling him into a kiss. Jack responded immediately, hugging him close and caressing his back.

"Wake me up when we have to go back to work." the archivist murmured sleepily.

Smiling, Jack nuzzled his head in Ianto's hair, closed his eyes and soon dozed off. They stayed like that until the water got cold and he was woken up by the other man's shivering.

"Come on." Jack said, kissing the top of Ianto's head before disentangling himself and getting up.

Yawning, Ianto followed him out of the tub and let the older man dry him off and place soft kisses on every inch of his body while he did so.

After he had wrapped a towel around his own waist, Jack grabbed Ianto's hand and led him to the bedroom, flopping down on the bed and pulling him on top of him. Reaching up, he placed a hand on his cheek, stroking his face with his thumb.

Leaning down, Ianto captured Jack's mouth in another kiss, moving down to his jaw and neck, over his chest and stomach, down to the towel. Removing the bothersome fabric, he continued his journey down Jack's body until he reached his feet, placing a kiss on the sole of each one, causing the Captain to giggle.

"The mighty Captain Harkness' only weakness; ticklish feet."

"Shut up." Jack grinned, pulling him up again. "Stop teasing me."

"Me?" Ianto asked innocently, earning himself a slap on the ass. "Oi!" he laughed, grabbing the other's hands and pinning them down next to his head. "Behave!" he smirked and began to move down again, only to be stopped by a hand on his neck, softly holding him in place. Confused, he looked up at the older man.

"Here." Jack smiled, placing a tube of lube in his hand and turning onto his stomach.

"Are you sure?" the archivist asked insecurely. This wasn't how things normally went. He had mostly been the submissive part in their relationship and was completely happy with that. But Jack nodded, slightly turning his head and smiling up at him.

Placing a kiss between his shoulder blades, Ianto started to prepare himself and the Captain, before positioning himself behind the other man. Holding on to Jack's side with one hand, he pressed against the other man's entrance, causing him to slightly lift up his hips. Moving foreward, he entered him completely, causing both of them to moan in pleasure. Grabbing Jack's hand with his free hand, he started to move slowly. Pressing back at him, Jack urged him to increase his speed. Ianto complied, thrusting harder, digging his fingers in the immortal's side and resting his head on the other's shoulder.

Slightly adjusting their position, Jack made sure the younger man hit his prostate with every thrust. Moaning in content, he brought their hands up to his face, kissing Ianto's knuckles. He knew he wasn't going to last long and as it happens, just as he was thinking it, he started to feel the warmth creeping through his whole body and came, crying out his lover's name.

Feeling Jack tighten around him, Ianto couldn't hold back anymore either. After a few more thrusts, he threw his head back and with one last moan, he collapsed on the other man before rolling onto his back, panting heavily.

Pulling a blanket over them, Jack snuggled up to the other man, placing a lazy kiss on his lips."That was fun." he grinned.

"Yeah." Ianto choked out, still trying to catch his breath.

"So, are you going to yell at me again if I ask what happened today?"

"Can't we just leave it?" Ianto groaned, pulling the blanket over his head.

"I need to know if there's something wrong, Ianto. If John has done anything bad, you have to tell me."

"It's nothing like that."

"Tell me." Jack insisted, pulling back the blanket and lifting Ianto's head up, forcing him to look at him.

"I...I think...I think John fancies me." he sighed and could feel Jack tense next to him.

"Do you like him back?" the immortal asked, sitting up.

"No! Well, I don't know. A bit, maybe? Look, I'm sorry Jack, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." the immortal smiled at him, but Ianto could see it was forced.

"Jack-"

"No, Ianto, I understand. He's charming and so much better at all of this." he said, gesturing between them.

"Nothing happened, Jack."

"It's all right, really. I get it, I would chose him over me too, if I were in your place and-"

"_Christ, Jack!_" Ianto shouted, startling the other man. "What is it with you lately? I never said anything about leaving you or being with John. Besides, we're not a couple, I can't leave you. It's only a crush, nothing more than what you felt for Gwen at one point. But do you really think you would be here right now if I was intending to 'dump' you? And anyway, what is it to you what happens between John and me? You've shagged your way through all of Cardiff, but if I fool around with someone else, it's the end of the world? I thought you didn't do relationships?!"

"Maybe I've changed my mind." Jack murmured, nervously playing with a pillow.

"What now?" Ianto spluttered, raising an eyebrow.

"I care about you, Yan."

"Don't say things just because you get scared."

"I'm serious about this." the other man insisted.

"What do you want from me, Jack?" Ianto groaned frustrated.

"I want you."

"You remember the sex we just had?"

"I don't mean like that. I want _you. _You mean so much to me, Yan." Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Confused, Ianto looked up at the Captain, not knowing what to say.

"Shit." the older man groaned, pulling the archivist close to him. "I need you and I'm scared shitless that someone's going to steal you away from me, because I'm a stupid idiot who doesn't appreciate you enough."

"Jack." Ianto sighed, stroking the older man's cheek.

"I want to make this work." Jack murmured, burying his head in the crook of Ianto's neck.

"We will make it work, I promise." the other man soothed, placing a kiss in the Captain's hair.

"What about John?" Jack asked concerned.

"I'll always chose you, Jack." Ianto said and meant it.

Pulling back, Jack pressed his lips to Ianto's before rolling onto his back and opening his arms for the other man.

Smiling, he snuggled up to Jack, closing his eyes. Whatever that was between him and John, it was nothing compared to how he felt about Jack. It had always been and it would always be him. He just hoped it wouldn't get too weird with John, since he seemed to be staying for a while.

"Let's do this!" the Captain suddenly exclaimed.

"Do what?"

"The relationship thing."

"You don't have to do this, it's fine, really."

"So you don't want to?"

"I didn't say that." Ianto sighed. "What exactly are you imagining, though?"

"First, another date. The last one didn't go that well, if I remember correctly." he grinned.

"Yeah, I remember." Ianto laughed. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"It's all right." Jack said, waving aside his apology. "But I get to kiss you whenever I want, no matter who's watching." he smirked.

"Even in front of Owen?"

"_Especially_ in front of Owen!"

"You're an ass." Ianto laughed, pinching his arm.

"Ouch!" the immortal pouted, causing Ianto to roll his eyes.

"What about other people?" the younger man asked. "I can't imagine you in a normal, monogamous relationship, to be honest."

"Let's leave that aside for now, okay? Right now, it's about us. We can talk about what happens later on when we get to that. Agreed?"

"Are you really sure about this, Jack?"

"Of course I am." the Captain said, lifting up Ianto's head to be able to look at him. "You are one of the most important people in this galaxy to me and I'm never, ever letting you go." he promised, capturing the other's mouth in a loving kiss.

"When did you get so sappy?" the archivist grinned, after they pulled apart.

"Shut up." Jack laughed.

"And do I have to call you my _boyfriend_ now?"

"That sounds...stupid."

"Yeah, it really does."

"You can call me Captain."

"You would like that, wouldn't you? I think I'll call you sweetheart, or honey, or doll, or snugglebunny, or studmuffin, or-"

"I'm already starting to regret this." Jack laughed while Ianto continued with his list, grinning like a mad person.

* * *

**A/N:** So, what did you think? I hope you liked it. Please review and leave comments, I'm really unsure if people still want to read this.


	12. A Love Story?

**A/N:** Thanks to _IzzieJane, Cheetah, StarKayak _and the _guests_ who left comments, it's great to get feedback!

The next few chapters will show what happens in the hub over the following two months while things start to settle down. They will each contain a couple of short stories, if you will, about each member of the team, but mostly Jack, Ianto, John and Ria. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Jack and Ianto's relationship goes through some changes.

* * *

**Warnings:** some flirting and snogging

* * *

**Chapter Nine - A Love Story?**

_[two months after Ria's return]_

Ianto was bringing some reports up to Jack's empty office when he noticed two new pictures standing on his desk. He picked up the first one and almost dropped it again when the people in it started to move. It showed two children, about 10 years old, on a beach somewhere far away from earth. In the background were three shining red suns, starting to vanish behind the horizon. The girl was undoubtedly Dorian and the boy to her right had to be Dallin. They were holding hands, waving at the camera and making silly faces.

Smiling, he set the picture down and picked up the other one, only to be surprised a second time. It showed Jack and him, sitting on a couch in the team's favourite pub a couple of weeks ago. Ianto was out of his normal suit, wearing a pair of black jeans, one of his old band shirts and his favourite leather jacket, a beer in one hand, grinning and rolling his eyes at something Owen had said. Next to him, Jack looked as dashing as ever, sticking his tongue out at Gwen, who must have snapped the picture.

"I hope you don't mind." Jack said, leaning in the door, smiling at him.

"Of course not."

"Great." the immortal beamed, closing his arms around the younger man and kissing him softly.

Ianto still had a hard time getting his head around how much Jack had changed in the short time since Ria had returned. The first time the older man had come up behind him, sneaking his arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his temple, not only Ianto but also the rest of the team had been more than confused. After the initial shock, Gwen had started to squeal with joy, hugging them both, rambling on about how great it was that the two of them were finally making things official. Owen had just rolled his eyes and Tosh had smiled at them encouragingly. Ianto's eyes, however, had been on John the whole time. The man had looked hurt, but nodded at the archivist, mouthing 'It's all right.' and flashing him a sad smile. It was Ria who'd noticed her father's discomfort, pulling him into a hug and whispering something in the futuristic language the others were desperate to learn.

Jack had also started to take him out as much as possible and Ianto got used to being seen with another man pretty quickly. The only time he wished he could make himself invisible had been when one of his sister's friends had walked past the French restaurant he and Jack were having dinner at. But she had been way too absorbed with Jack's looks to even notice him sitting there. Apart from that little incident, Ianto enjoyed every single moment of their new relationship. He had no idea where it was heading or how long it would last, but he had decided not to think about that and cherish what he had right now as much as possible.

"Are you still here?" Jack grinned, bringing the other man back to reality.

"Sorry, just thinking, that's all."

"About what?"

"You." Ianto winked at him, smirking and slapping his ass before walking out to make another round of coffee.

* * *

_[they day after Jack and Ianto's relationship talk]_

Humming happily, Ianto put a tablet on Ria's bedside table, flashing her a huge smile.

"Beans, eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding? Do you have bad news? Am I going to die?" the girl grinned.

"Just wanted to say thanks."

"Do that more often." Ria winked, starting to eat. "Shit, I forgot how delicious bacon is!" she moaned, making Ianto laugh.

"What did you say to him after I left?" he asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Not much." she shrugged, feeding a piece of sausage to Benedict, who seemed delighted, purring joyfully.

"Oh really?" Ianto raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why are you asking anyway?"

"No reason."

"Yeah right. Spill it, Yanni!" she demanded, tickling his side.

"Stop it, I can't talk like that." he laughed and tried to squirm away.

Putting away her food, she held up her blanket for him.

"Fine, but I only have 5 minutes." he said, kicking off his shoes and snuggling close to her.

"Okay, what happened?" she asked excitedly, pulling the blanket over them both.

"You're not going to use your superior deduction skills?" Ianto teased.

"If that's how you want to play this." she grinned, dramatically clearing her throat.

"Drama queen."

"Shush. All right, here goes; you had a fight - which I totally didn't hear - went back to your place, a lot of shagging took place, Jack got jealous of John, realised I was right when I told him to get his shit together and, well, manned up and asked you to be with him. That about it?"

"That is scarily accurate. Have I told you how creepy you are before?" he smirked.

"No reason to be mean." Ria pouted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Thanks." Ianto smiled at her, placing a brief and soft kiss on her lips.

"Scaring him works most of the time." she shrugged matter of factly, stroking his cheek. "You're good for each other." she smiled, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose.

_"Ianto? Coffee?"_ Jack's voice came over the comm.

"I guess some things never change." the man grinned, rolling his eyes.

* * *

_[two weeks later]_

"That place was really expensive." Ianto stated after he and Jack had left the posh restaurant and were strolling through the city.

"So?" the immortal asked, stroking the back of the other's hand.

"It's just a lot of money, that's all." the younger man shrugged.

"You don't like it if I take you out?"

"Of course I do, but it feels like you're trying to impress me."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Not bad, just unnecessary."

"But I like to spoil you." Jack pouted, making puppy eyes at his lover.

"Idiot." Ianto grinned, grabbing the lapels of his coat, capturing his mouth in a soft kiss.

Smiling, Jack put his arms around the other man's waist, pulling him closer.

"Home?" Ianto whispered, momentary breaking the kiss.

"Actually, I had something else in mind."

"Oh?" the archivist asked, raising an eyebrow.

{oOo}

"Are you serious?" Ianto laughed, looking at the movie poster.

"You don't like it?"

"Oh, I _love_ it. I'm just wondering how you knew."

"I know people." Jack winked at him.

"Tell her thanks from me." the younger man grinned, pulling at his hand. "Come on, it's about to start."

{oOo}

"No wonder it's considered 'the worst film of all time'." Jack whispered.

"It's a classic, shut up." Ianto grinned.

"At least your taste in men is impeccable."

"Vain much?"

Smirking, Jack took the other man's hand, kissing his knuckles, before attaching his mouth to his neck.

"Jack, stop it. We're not teenagers." Ianto scolded, trying to suppress a giggle.

"Make me." the immortal teased, placing a hand on Ianto's leg, nibbling on his ear. Slowly moving his hand up the other man's leg, Jack started to kiss his way from Ianto's ear over his neck and jaw to his lips, swiping his tongue over them.

With a little moan, the archivist pulled Jack closer, sneaking a hand under his shirt, starting to caress his chest.

Smiling about his victory, the older man deepened the kiss, pressing his hand to the bulge forming in Ianto's pants.

"Damn you." the younger man groaned, pulling back a little.

"Bathroom?" Jack grinned.

"Let's go." Ianto grinned back.

* * *

_[6 weeks after Ria's return]_

"Okay, I think I got it; an, tyn, hrim, hren, ze, nen, sen, terem."

"Now try it without a Welsh accent and it's perfect." Ria smirked.

"Silentar tey!" Ianto laughed, pinching her arm.

"Of course, _that_ you remember." she teased, throwing a cushon at him.

"Ianto, Dorian, get in the car." Jack yelled down from his office.

Confused, the two looked at each other.

"Now!" the immortal added impatiently.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to leave the hub?" Ria asked innocently, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't push it, let's get going."

Five minutes later, they were sitting in the SUV and still had no idea what was going on.

"Jack, where are we going?" Ianto asked, growing concerned. "Is everything all right?"

The immortal didn't say anything, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Quen et hrimen probl'ém?" Ria asked, rolling her eyes.

"An nient sair." the archivist shrugged, leaning back in the passanger seat. "What?" he asked, when he noticed the grin on the Captain's lips.

"Like the accent." Jack smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"HA! See?" he grinned back at Ria, sticking out his tongue.

{oOo}

"Hell no!"

"Come on, just a few minutes."

"How did she even find out?"

"I called her."

"You're a dick." Ria groaned annoyed.

"Just get out of the car."

Pouting, the girl complied and the three of them went up to the house and Jack rang the bell.

"You!" Alice exclaimed, opening the door. "How could you?"

"Don't even start!" Ria yelled at her.

"I was worried! We all were. How could you do this to dad?"

"Hear, hear, the perfect daughter's talking."

"I see you haven't changed a bit."

"Shut up, you twat. Where's Steven?" Ria asked, pushing her way past the angry woman.

"Don't talk to me like that!" her sister demanded. "Great job, dad." she added, before following her into the house.

Sighing, Jack put an arm around Ianto's shoulder. "And that would he the reason why I didn't want to come here alone."

"You owe me for this, big time." the younger man grinned.

"I'll do anything if we survive the next hour." Jack laughed, pressing their lips together.

* * *

_[a couple of days later]_

With a sharp intake of breath, Jack woke up, looking around in panic.

"It's fine, I'm right here." Ianto whispered softly, holding him close.

"Bad dream." the immortal sighed, relaxing in the other man's arms.

"I gathered as much." the archivist said, brushing the sweaty hair out of his lover's face, stroking his cheek.

"It's getting worse."

"I noticed."

Pulling Ianto closer, Jack captured his mouth in a kiss, his hands running down the younger man's exposed chest. Rolling over, Jack pressed him down on the bed, straddling him. "You're incredibly beautiful." he smiled down at him.

"Don't..." Ianto groaned, blushing furiously.

"But it's cute if you turn all red." he teased.

"I am _not_ cute!"

"I beg to differ." Jack grinned, caressing his stomach.

Not answering, Ianto just rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I'm serious!" the older man said. "Do you wanna know what the dreams are about?"

Curious, the archivist nodded, taking one of Jack's hands, linking their fingers.

"You died. It's a different scenario every time, but in the end you always die."

"They're just dreams, Jack."

"But they scare me."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't stand to lose you, Yan." the immortal said sadly. "You have no idea how much you mean to me."

"I think I have an idea." Ianto grinned up at him.

Smiling, Jack leaned down, tenderly kissing the other man.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you think? Please leave comments, they make me happy! The movie they went to see was (of course!) "Plan 9 from Outer Space". Sorry, I'm a huge SciFi, splatter and trash fan, so Ianto's one too now ;)

Translations for this chapter:

_An, tyn, hrim, hren, ze, nen, sen, terem - I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they_

_Silentar tey! - Silence yourself! / Shut up!_

_Quen et hrimen probl'ém? - What is his problem? _

_An nient sair. - I don't know._


	13. A Love Triangle?

**A/N:** This chapter focuses on what goes on between Jack, John and Ianto. Enjoy and leave comments. Oh and a huge thanks to _DairamK_, thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Jack, Ianto and John try to work things out between the three of them.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, some flirting and snogging

* * *

**Chapter Ten - A Love Triangle?**

About two weeks after Ria's unexpected return, John had moved into one of the empty rooms on the lower levels of the hub. Gwen and Owen had been less than thrilled and he himself wasn't sure that this was good idea. He was now living under one roof with his ex, whom he still had feelings for. And as if that wasn't bad enough already, there was Ianto. He had tried to move on from Jack and landed on the one man currently dating the guy. And now he was stuck here with both of them, being all sweet and lovey-dovey in front of him.

_'This is just fucking perfect.'_ he thought, letting himself fall back on the bed. At least he was close to his daughter. He had to find out what had happened to her. She seemed to be fine, apart from the physical injuries, but John knew her better, she was hurting badly. There had to be a reason behind Dallin's death and her disapperance and he needed to know what it was. It wouldn't be easy to get something out of her, she was as stubborn as him and Jack combined, but he needed the closure and, as far as he was concerned, so did Ria and Jack.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on the door.

"May I come in?" Ianto asked, opening the door a crack and sticking his head into the room.

John growled at him angrily, not saying anything.

"I brought pizza?!"

"Fine." the Captain grumbled.

Setting the food down on a small table, Ianto stood next to the bed awkwardly. He didn't know how to start this and instead looked around the room. The man had taste, he had to give him that.

"Is there something you wanted, eye-candy?"

"To say I'm sorry."

"Okay. Now, get out."

"John, please." Ianto sighed, sitting down on the bed next to him. "I didn't mean for you to get-"

"_Get out!_" the other man repeated, more forcibly this time.

"Just listen to me for a moment, please?" Taking John's silence as a yes, he continued. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"I mean it, John. I care about you, but-"

"Sure." the Captain snorted, playing with one of his bracelets.

"Damn it, don't act like a bloody child!"

Turning his back to Ianto, John started to fumble with one of his pillows. "Everyone always choses him." he murmured sadly.

Reaching out, Ianto put his hand on the other man's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Don't fucking touch me!" John snapped, shrugging of the hand and jumping off the bed. "It's always him, _always_! He treats people like shit and gets whatever he wants. He leaves his family and my father forgives him, but not me. He leaves me and gets you as a reward." he ranted, pacing around the room.

Getting up as well, Ianto put his arms around the other man.

"It's not fair. It...it just isn't fair, Ianto." he sighed, clutching to the younger man, crying angry tears into his shoulder.

Steering them back to the bed, Ianto lay down and pulled John into his arms, stroking his back, trying to soothe him. "I really am sorry, John. I shouldn't have led you on like that. I care about you a lot and I'll be there for you, no matter what. But I love him, I have to give us a chance."

"It's not your fault." the Captain choked out weakly. "But I swear, if he hurts you, I'm going to break his neck until he stays dead."

"I'll hold you to that." Ianto grinned, tilting the other's head up and placing a comforting kiss on his lips. "Are you going to be fine on your own?"

"Just let her in when you leave, she's been standing out there, begging to come in for a while now."

"I didn't hear anything." Ianto said confused.

"We rarely talk out loud." John winked at him, tapping his head.

"It's _really_ weird if you do that." the archivist said, getting up. "Eat your pizza before it gets cold." he added, before opening the door, where Ria was already waiting impatiently.

"Thanks, Yanni." she smiled up at him, briefly pressing their lips together before entering the room, climbing up on the bed and snuggling into her fathers outstretched arms.

_'Well, maybe this is all going to work out somehow.'_ Ianto thought satisfied, making his way up to the main area.

"You're not going to give up on him, are you?" Ria asked after Ianto had closed the door behind him.

"Nope."

"That's what I thought." she sighed.

* * *

_[a couple of days later]_

"John, come here for a second." Jack yelled out of his office when he saw the man walking by.

"What?"

"Where did you get this?" he asked, pointing at the other Captain's black eye.

"Walked into a door?"

"John?!"

"Fine." the younger man groaned, sitting down on the couch.

{oOo}

John and Ria were cuddled up on the Captain's bed, dozing and 'talking'. The team still thought it was creepy how the two of them communicated most of the time. They were often seen, foreheads pressed together, having hour long conversations without saying a single word out loud.

Jack had explained telepathy to them all, trying to prevent Gwen from having a panic attack every time John walked into the room. John himself didn't actually have any telepathic abilities, it was all Dorian, projecting her thoughts into his head and reading his responses. A personal connection was needed as well, otherwise the whole process would be extremely tiring and sometimes even painful for the telepath. The only thing they were able to do without the other person's consent was projecting their thoughts into their heads and even that was a complex process and easily recognisable and preventable by the non-telepath. What helped a lot was physical contact, which caused Gwen to be extremely careful around the younger girl, much to her amusement.

So, once again, Ria and her father were talking silently, relaxing in the man's room, until the girl suddenly jumped up.

"_Are you serious?_" she yelled out loud.

"It was an accident, I didn't mean to-"

"An accident? _An accident_? What kind of moron pushes someone off a roof accidentally?"

"I said I'm sorry."

"Oh and that makes everything all right?!"

"He forgave me."

"Well, I don't." Ria growled, punching her father square in the face. "You know exactly how much it hurts him every single time."

"Baby, please-"

"Just don't, John." she glared at him, before walking out of the room.

{oOo}

"Shut up, it's not that funny." John pouted.

"I think it is." Jack grinned. "Hey, I said I forgive you, I know you didn't mean to do it." he quickly said, sitting down next to the other man and pulling him into a hug when he saw the pained expression on his face.

"I really am sorry, Jack." John sighed, burying his head in the immortal's shoulder.

"Me too, about...you know."

"Oh?" the younger man asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't make me say it." Jack groaned, leaning back and covering his face with his hands.

"I think I'm going to do just that." the other Captain smirked, straddling the immortal, pinning his arms down next to him.

"John, get off."

"Tell me first."

"This is not funny."

"Oh, I think it is!" John said, leaning closer. "What are you sorry for?" he whispered, nibbling on the other man's ear.

"Seriously, get off." Jack growled, squirming.

"No." he grinned, resting his forehead against Jack's. "Tell me."

"About running away." Jack sighed, closing his eyes. "And about leaving you."

"I loved you."

"I know."

"I still do."

"An étir excusim, chér'im."

"I know, lûv. Ze étin êsim." John smiled, cupping Jack's face, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Cute." Ria grinned, leaning in the door.

Looking at each other, the two men broke out in laughter, John hopping off of Jack, sitting back down on the couch.

"Here." the girl said, throwing a pack of ice at John.

"Does that mean we're okay?" the man asked hopefully, pressing the ice to his eye, hissing at the cold.

"I guess." she shrugged, flopping down on the sofa between her fathers, taking a hand of each one. "And now stop being sappy, it really creeps me out." she added with a grin.

* * *

_[about 3 weeks later]_

"Eye-candy, wait up!" John yelled, following Ianto out of the tourist office.

"Do you have to call me that out in public?" the younger man groaned annoyed.

"It's not my fault that you're so freakishly hot." the Captain grinned, catching up with him.

Rolling his eyes, Ianto kept walking.

"Not staying with Jackie tonight?"

"Sometimes I like to sleep in a real bed."

"There's one down in my room." John smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at him.

"Smooth." the archivist laughed. "Does that work with other people?"

"Shut up." the other man pouted.

"Was there something you wanted? I really want to get home."

"Will you go out with me?"

"John, I-"

"Just as friends." the Captain quickly added. "One drink? Please?"

"One drink?"

"Knew you'd say yes." John grinned, throwing his arm around the younger man's shoulders.

{oOo}

"You are kidding? _Please_ tell me you are kidding?!"

"Nope." John laughed, taking a sip of his beer.

"Completely naked?"

"Yes."

"In front of the Royal Family?"

"King, queen and the two princes of Allion 4."

"You two are unbelievable." Ianto said, shaking his head.

"The fun sides of the agency." John shrugged, grinning.

"You must miss it."

"Sometimes, yeah." the Captain smiled nostalgically.

Sighing, the archivist finished up his own beer.

"Okay, spill it. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ianto tried to reassure him, smiling weakly.

"You are a terrible liar."

"It's just...do you think Jack misses all of that? I mean, travelling through time and space sounds a lot better than staying on Earth."

"He chose Torchwood a long time ago, what makes you think he would leave now?"

"He left once already."

"And he came back, didn't he?"

"Maybe he won't next time."

"Why do you think there's going to be a next time?"

"You." the younger man admitted, blushing.

"Me?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. "_He_ left _me_ to go back to Earth."

"But now your daughter is back."

"She was there when he left."

"I know, but...well, I don't know, I feel like I'm preventing you three from being a family."

"You're an idiot." the Captain laughed, hugging him close. "We do a damn fine job scewing up our family ourselves, we don't need you for that."

"You got a point there." Ianto grinned, briefly pressing their lips together.

* * *

"You suck!" John smirked.

"Shut it, you're distracting me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do the weevils always stand still for you?" he teased.

"You're just pissed because I'm winning." Jack grinned.

"You are so not!" the other Captain exclaimed, perfectly placing a bullet between the eyes of a cardboard civilian.

"And you are not supposed to shoot innocent people."

"Who says he was innocent?"

"It's my shooting range, I make the rules."

"I like it when you get all bossy." John whispered, standing close behind the other man, sneaking his arms around his waist. "I'm still winning, though." he added, placing a kiss on the immortal's neck.

"You were never good with numbers." Jack bantered him, turning around in the younger man's arms.

"I have other qualities." John winked, capturing his mouth in a kiss, moving his hands down to the older man's ass, squeezing it.

"I've had better." Jack smirked after pulling away.

"Oh yeah?" John asked, pushing him.

"Oh yeah!" Jack said, pushing him back.

Grinning, the younger Captain moved back a little before headbutting the immortal.

Rubbing his forehead, Jack looked at him, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "You are _so_ on!" he laughed, punching John square in the face, only to receive a kick to the stomach in return. Stumbling back, he had just enough time to dodge another punch.

"You're going down." John smirked, charging at him, pulling him to the ground and pinning his arms down with his knees.

Pushing his hips up, Jack managed to throw the other man off and got up, only to be thrown to the floor again, when John took hold of his leg, yanking it away from under him.

Rolling over, John was on Jack again, a firm grip on his throat.

Reaching behind the younger man, Jack pulled John's gun out of its holster, pressing it against his head. "Draw?" he choked out, panting.

"Draw." John laughed, jumping up and offering him his hand. "Shit, I've missed this." he grinned.

"Yeah, me too." Jack grinned right back.

* * *

**A/N:** So, did you like it? Tell me in the comments! I wanted to show how the three of them grow closer, since Jack and John obviously still care for each other a lot. And they both love Ianto in their own way, while Ianto is still unsure about Jack's changes and doesn't know exactly how much he cares for John. This is going to be fun *claps hands together* Next up are Ianto and Ria.

_Translations:_

_An étir excusim. - I am sorry._  
_Chér'im - a term of endearment from the French word chéri_  
_Lûv - love / sweetheart_  
_Ze étin êsim. - It is fine / all right._


	14. My New Brother

**Chapter Summary:** A look on Ianto and Ria's relationship.

* * *

**Warnings:** nothing particular

* * *

**Chapter Eleven - My New Brother**

_[a few nights after the relationship talk]_

Rubbing his eyes, Ianto sleepily looked up at the girl.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." she said, already turning back to the ladder.

"Do you need something?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Nah, it's fine." she shrugged uncomfortably.

"Is everything all right?"

"Was just looking for Jack. Sorry, go back to sleep."

"Are you sure that you're fine?" Ianto raised an eyebrow, looking a little concerned.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep, that's all."

"Why not?"

Looking down at her feet, she played with the sleeve of the hoody Gwen had brought her.

"That's not very reassuring." the archivist said, getting up. "What's wrong?" he asked, lifting her chin up.

"It's stupid."

"Let me be the judge of that."

"Bad dreams." she sighed, blushing slightly.

"Are you blushing? _You_?" Ianto grinned at her.

"Told you it was stupid." the girl said, turning around to the ladder.

"Hey, come on, I'm just teasing you." he smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Do you wanna go find John?"

"No, he'll just make a fuss." she groaned, putting her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Do you want to stay here for the rest of the night?" he asked, stroking her back.

"Maybe." she said shyly, stepping back and absently biting her lower lip.

"Which actually means 'Yes'?"

"Yeah." Ria smiled.

Grinning, Ianto went back to the bed, patting the empty space next to him and was immediately joined by the girl. Lying down, he pulled her close so she was facing him. Putting a hand on her cheek, he nudged her nose with his own, smiling at her reassuringly.

"Thanks."

"No problem." he said, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"An amîr tyn, Yanni." the girl smiled at him. "It means I love you." she explained, when he looked at her confused. "You remind me of Dall. So, _so_ much." she mumbled, snuggling close to him, sneaking her arms around his waist.

"Thanks." he stammered, a little taken aback by the sudden expression of feelings. "Try to sleep, all right?" he added.

Nodding, she closed her eyes, sighing comfortably and soon dozing off.

"I love you too." he whispered after she had fallen asleep, surprised about his own statement, but knowing it was true.

* * *

It had been an extremely slow day at Torchwood, so Ianto decided to start one of his James Bondathons up in the tourist office. If there was one thing he could do over and over again without getting bored, it was watching his favourite Bond movies. Right now, he was in the middle of 'Octopussy'.

"Oh, I love that scene!"

"Hell, you're going to give me a heart attack one day!" he said, just barely catching the mug of coffee he had almost dropped. During the four weeks she'd been here now, Ria had managed to startle every single member of the team at least once. She had this uncanny ability to appear from out of nowhere at the most inconvenient times, even without her wrist straps - which Jack had refused to give back, fearing she would leave again. The worst time for Ianto had been when she'd appeared behind him down in the archives, nonchalantly tapping him on the shoulder, asking if he knew where Owen was. No one ever came down there besides him and Jack. And he could always feel the immortal's presence before he actually arrived.

"Sorry." Ria grinned up at him from the floor.

"How long have you been there?"

"Since 'The Spy Who Loved Me'."

"You really are creepy."

"Whatever." she rolled her eyes. "Do you have to stay up here right now?"

"Not neccessarily, why?"

"Awesome, come on." she said, jumping up, wincing slightly when she put her full weight on the injured leg.

"Careful with that." Ianto said concerned.

"I'm fine. Now, come on. And take the movies!" she smiled excited, pulling at his hand.

Quickly taking the current movie out of the DVD player and grabbing the box with the rest of them, he let her lead him down to the hub. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." she winked as she steered him through the main area, down to the lower levels.

"Where are you two going?" Gwen called after them.

"No idea." Ianto yelled back over his shoulder.

They soon reached a room Ianto had seen a lot, but never been in before. Jack had told them very clearly _never_ to go in there and threatened to retcon anyone who tried. Gwen had been bugging him about it ever since, but he had refused to talk about it.

"Didn't you almost rip Gwen's head off when she followed you down here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yeah." she said, stroking the door, which - to Ianto's astonishment - caused it to spring open. "But that was Gwen." And with that, she vanished into the room. "Don't stand there like an idiot, get in here." she shouted.

Curious, Ianto entered the room and was more than a little surprised. It looked nothing like he would have imagined a teenager's room to look like. Then again, Dorian wasn't an ordinary girl. The walls were painted crimson, with dozens of pictures pinned to them, showing Dallin and her, John, Jack, her grandparents and a couple of people Ianto didn't recognise. The furniture, including a huge leather couch, was mostly black and the amount of books was mind-blowing. Ria herself was sitting on a comfy looking double bed with red satin covers and at least 10 pillows - on one of which Benedict was snoring peacefully - looking up at the ceiling, fumbling with a remote. Following her gaze, he spotted a suspiciously up to date flat screen TV.

"Thought this would be more comfortable." the girl smiled. "Put in the movie." she added, pointing at a shelve in front of the bed.

Ianto complied and sat down next to her. She immediately pulled him into a lying position, snuggling close to him, putting the remote in his hand.

"Why am I allowed in here?" the man asked confused. "You've never allowed anyone else into your room. We were actually starting to place bets on what it is you're hiding in here." he grinned.

"Because you're special." she smirked, pecking him on the lips before resting her head on his chest. "Now play the damn movie!"

"Special?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, if you don't play the movie now, I'm going to spoil 'Skyfall' for you."

"Skyfall?"

"Comes out in 2012, starring Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem as the bad guy and-"

"All right, all right. I'll shut up!" he laughed, finally starting the DVD.

* * *

_[a few days after the James Bondathon]_

"He's never on time." Ria groaned, rolling her eyes.

"He is sometimes." Ianto tried to the defend the immortal.

"No, he's not." she grinned, flashing one of the blokes on the next table a dazzling smile.

"Jack's never going to let you out of the hub again of he catches you flirting with guys twice your age." Ianto scolded half heartedly.

"You're on to talk." she smirked, pointing at the cigarette in his hand. "How long do you have to brush your teeth so he doesn't find out?"

"What, are you going to rat on me?" he grinned. "And _you_ really shouldn't smoke, you're way too young." he added disapprovingly.

"Hey, I thought you were supposed to be the cool stepdad?"

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head, reaching for his buzzing mobile. "Jack? Did something happen? Shit. Do you need me to come back? Are you sure? Okay, see you later. Take care."

"What's up?"

"Weevil alert. Guess he really never is on time."

"Neither are you if you don't hurry up."

"What...? Shit, you're right! You couldn't have said anything 15 minutes ago? And I have to take you back first. My sister's going to be thrilled." he sighed.

"I could always take the bus. Or your car." Ria offered.

"You don't have a license - which you could have told me last time - and your fathers would kill me if I let you out of my sight."

"I'm not a child."

"Well, talk to them, but right now you're coming with me." he said, waving over a waiter.

{oOo}

"Rhi, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot about the time."

"At least this time you came." his sister said, hugging him. "And who's this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A...friend...from out of town. She came by unannounced."

"Hi, my name's Dorian, but call me Ria. It's a pleasure to meet you." the girl smiled at the woman, offering her her outstretched hand.

"Well, hello then." Ianto's sister said, a suspicious smile on her face. "Come in." she added, ushering them inside.

"Did you bring us something?" David asked, appearing behind his mother together with Mica.

Rolling his eyes, Ianto took out his wallet, handing each of them a couple of bills.

"Thanks." the boy yelled back over his shoulder, already running off again.

"Who are you?" Mica asked shyly.

"I'm a friend of your uncle's." Ria said, crouching down. "And I _love_ your shirt." she smiled at the girl.

"I like kitties."

"That's fantastic, so do I!"

"You have nice hair. Mum, can she come play with me?" the girl asked hopefully.

"I don't know if she-"

"It's fine, really." Ria said, winking at Mica. Giggling, the girl took her hand, leading her away to the living room, happily talking about her toys.

"Behave." Ianto called after them, only to have Ria stick her tongue out at him.

{oOo}

"So, anything you wanna tell me?" Rhiannon asked, looking at Ianto with a curious expression on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been seen."

_Oh oh._ "So?"

"With a man. In a restaurant."

_Shit._ "You have dinner with your girlfriends."

"Not like that. Sarah said it was intimate. I told her you've had girlfriends before, but..."

_So much for her not noticing him_. "He's my boss."

"She said he's gorgeous, like a film star."

_I'm not ready for this_. "He's still just my boss."

"I always know when you're lying to me, Ianto."

Trying to avoid her eyes, he looked down at his glass.

"So that's it? You're going to shut me right out again?"

Sighing, Ianto looked up at his sister. "He _is_ very handsome."

"No! Really?" she exclaimed.

"Drop it." he groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"I never thought you...not that I mind, Mica's friend Tara has two mums but..." she started to ramble, before looking him in the eyes, dead serious. "Is he treating you right?"

"I can look after myself." he said, rolling his eyes, but unable to suppress smiling about his big sister's concern.

"Who's she then?" Rhi asked, looking at Ria, who had Mica on her lap, playing some video game with David. "Oh come on, I'm not completely oblivious." she added, when he almost choked on his water. "They way you look at her, all concerned and protective, she's no normal friend. What are you up to? Are you getting it on with two people at the same time? God Ianto, how old is she? She looks so young, what are you doing with-"

"She's Jack's, my boss', daughter."

"So the relationship between this Jack and you, it's serious?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Well...no, not really...or actually yes...I don't know." he stammered, rubbing his face.

They both looked up at the happy cheers coming from the living room.

"That was so cool!" David beamed, jumping up and down on the couch.

"We won." Ria grinned, before turning her attention back to the kids.

Smiling at the unusually stable and sunshiny state of his lover's daughter, he didn't notice his sister smirking at him at first. "What?" he asked, when he finally looked back at her.

"They mean a lot to you." she stated.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Oh, don't give me that, you daft sod. It's good to see you happy!" she laughed, pinching his cheek. "Now, when are we going to meet your Jack?"

"How about never?" Ianto grinned innocently.

* * *

_[nearly two months after Ria's return]_

"Pêt, wo étim tyn?"

"Living room. Tell me again why I have to study this? Ze étin infak. And mind-blowingly dull."

"Because it can't hurt to get your A-levels." Ianto smiled, appearing behind her and placing a kiss on her head.

"I'm already way past those _A-levels._" Ria groaned, letting her head fall on the open books on the table.

"Try showing your 51st century diploma to anyone."

"It's not like I will be able to attend _any_ school, I'm not even allowed to leave the hub on my own."

"He'll get there."

"Lyk fuck hrem wîrd."

"_Oi!_ Language!" Ianto grinned, lightly slapping the back of her head. "And he agreed to let you sleep over at my place and go out with me, that's a start."

"He lets me stay with his boyfriend, big whoop."

"It's hard for him."

"I know." she sighed, rubbing her eyes. "But how many times do I have to apologise before he starts trusting me again?"

"Give him time." Ianto smiled, leaning down and resting his head on her shoulder. "Now, finish up this chapter and I'll order some Indian."

"And then we'll watch 'Carnival Of Souls'?" she asked, making puppy eyes at him.

"Sure." he grinned, walking over to the phone. "Oh and cross out the part about the sonic blasters, we don't officially have those yet."

"Damn 21st century." Ria mumbled, pulling out a new piece of paper.

{oOo}

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"Mmmmhm." Ria mumbled, enjoying the sensation of Ianto's hand running through her hair, her head resting on his chest and her arms around him.

"How are you? Really?" As soon as the words had left his lips, he could feel her stiffening, suddenly very aware.

"I'm fine."

"No you are not."

"Yanni..."

"Please, hynny?"

"Absolutely terrible."

"Talk to me."

"Don't make me, please." the girl pleaded, looking up at him with teary eyes.

Sighing, Ianto pulled her up at eye level. "Whenever you're ready, I'm here." he smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Swallowing hard, Ria buried her face in the man's shoulder and he could soon feel her tears soking through his shirt, one of her hands in his hair, the other clenched into a fist.

"I love you." he whispered, stroking her back, trying to soothe her.

* * *

**A/N:** Did you like it? Leave reviews if you did :) I know, the conversation between Ianto and his sister is different from CoE, that's because my story isn't heading in the same direction. But I still wanted to add his family to the bigger picture, for later use.

Translations:

_Pêt - pet / sweety_  
_Wo étim tyn? - Where are you? _  
_Ze étin infak. - It is easy._  
_Lyk fuck hrem wîrd. - Like fuck he will._  
_Hynny - honey_


	15. The Kid Is Not All Right

**A/N:** This is just a tiny little chapter I wrote as an indication that not everything's as all right with Ria as she wants the others to believe. She's more damaged and hurt than she realises herself and things are starting to catch up with her. I hope you enjoy it._  
_

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Ria is far from all right.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, violence

* * *

**Chapter Twelve - The Kid Is Not All Right**

_"You managed to talk Jack into going out tonight?"_

_"Yep." _

_"How?"_

_"Got a secret weapon."_

_"Ianto?"_

_"Ianto."_

* * *

The four of them left the pub, laughing and in a generally good mood. Jack had his arm around Ianto's waist and was trying to place kisses on his neck - which was kind of hard while walking - making the archivist giggle and protest. Next to them, John was carrying Ria on his back, smirking at her impression of tipsy Jack.

"Fucking cocksuckers!"

Feeling Ianto tense next to him, Jack pulled him closer and had just enough time to hiss _"Don't!"_ in his daughter's direction before she was next to the drunk man.

"What did you just call them?" she asked, glaring at him.

"You heard me perfectly well!" the man snapped.

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare talk to my family like that!" she growled, clenching her fists.

"Baby, don't." John tried to calm her down, but she ignored him.

"Your family? That's just disgust-" he started, but didn't have the chance to finish. Ria had grabbed him by the throat, lifted him up - which John found quite impressive - and pressed him against a wall.

"Apologise!" she growled, her nose almost touching his, a deadly look in her eyes.

"Let him down." Jack warned. "Right now!"

"I said apologise!" she repeated, closing her hand.

"Sorry...I'm...sorry." the man choked out.

"That's better." she said, removing her hand and turning around.

"Damn poofs." the man grumbled, rubbing his throat, before falling back when Ria's fist connected with his nose.

Sitting on the man's chest, her knees pinning his arms to the ground, the girl glowered at him. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"Dorian, ârret!" John warned, walking up to her, stopping when she turned her head and snarled at him. "Eh...ok..." he said, holding up his hands in defense.

"Please...look, I'm sorry...please, don't...I..." the man on the ground stammered, looking up at Ria, horrified.

"You don't mean it." she stated, slowly scratching her nails over his cheek, leaving four red marks.

"I do! Really, I do! I'm sorry!"

"Well, I don't believe you." she shrugged, once again closing her hand around his neck.

_"Stop it!"_ Jack and John yelled in unison, but were ignored.

"Pêt, that's enough!" Ianto said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But he hurt you." the girl exclaimed, looking up at him, suddenly sounding very unsure and child-like.

"Come on." Ianto smiled, taking her hand and pulling her up.

Relieved, the man on the floor moved back, scrambling to his feet, blushing furiously when he noticed to group of people who had gathered around them, whispering and pointing at them. "Sorry." he said again in Ria's direction, who just hissed at him, causing him to turn on his heels and run.

"What was that?" Jack snapped.

"He hurt Ianto." Ria mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"You can't go around attacking people!"

"But-"

"_No but!_ What were you thinking? What is wrong with you?" the immortal ranted.

With a trembling lower lip, the girl turned around and started to walk away.

"Don't give me that! And don't you walk away from me!" he yelled after her, earning himself a slap to the head from Ianto. "What?" he asked, looking at John for support, but the other man just glared at him angrily. "What?" he repeated annoyed.

"Look." John said, turning him around so he was facing Ianto and Ria.

The archivist was trying to comfort the girl, who was shivering violently in his arms, whispering apologies in her native language over and over again, desperately holding on to the man.

"Don't hate me. Please, Yanni?" she pleaded, burrying her head in his chest.

"I don't. Promise." he soothed, placing little kisses in her hair.

"We have to do something. _Anything. _She's getting worse." John sighed sadly, taking the immortal's hand in his.

"Yeah." Jack agreed, looking at his daughter worriedly, squeezing John's hand.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you think? I'm always happy about comments, so please, leave some!

Translations:

_Ârret! - Stop!_


	16. Fitting Into The Team

**A/N:** Hugs and kisses to _StarKayak_, your reviews make my days! This chapter is about the rest of the team and after that, I'll continue with the story. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Ria connects with the rest of the Torchwood team.

* * *

**Warnings:** some swearing

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen - Fitting Into The Team**

"It's not as easy as it sounds, Jack." Tosh tried to explain.

"I need you to make this work, we can't have UNIT snooping around on our servers."

"Well, I'm trying, but-"

"No buts, Tosh. This needs to happen now!" Jack ordered before opening the report in front of him, indicating that the discussion was over.

With a frustrated sigh, Tosh left his office and went back to her workstation. Somehow UNIT had managed to breach the first two levels of their security. The classified things were buried much deeper, but Tosh was worried. If they had already come this far, it would be merely a matter of time until they reached the final level. And she didn't even want to think about what would happen if they got their hands on all that information. But she was at a loss, she had been working on this for the better part of the day, but she still didn't have a clue on how they got in. And without knowing that, it was nearly impossible to do something about it that guaranteed they wouldn't be able to do it again.

Angry at herself, Tosh set down her glasses, rubbing her face. This was going to be a long night.

"Did he give you a lot of trouble?" Ria asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to her. "Jack, I mean. I know how impatient he is."

"He's right to be upset, this is a huge problem."

"But he has to understand that certain things take time. May I?" she asked, pointing at the computer.

"Ehrm..."

"I'm not going to set anything on fire, promise. Hey, I'm the one who wrote half the programmes you guys have." the girl grinned.

"Zoy, of course. I've seen your signature everywhere. Nice work." Tosh smiled. "Fine, go on."

"Great." the girl smiled at her and started to type away.

{oOo}

"No, that won't work either." Ria groaned, leaning back in her chair.

"It has to, we checked four times." Tosh said, pulling the keyboard closer to herself, typing in another series of numbers.

"What if we..." the younger woman began, taking the keyboard back again.

"YES!" Tosh exclaimed happily. "That's it, we got it. Now we just have to...yes, HA!"

"Nice." Ria grinned, high-fiving the other woman.

"I couldn't have done this without you, thanks." Tosh smiled.

"You did most of the work, I just helped out a bit. Don't be so modest."

"Well, thanks anyway." Tosh blushed.

Up from his office, Jack was watching the two women with a smile. It was great to see Tosh open up to someone so quickly, she could use a real friend. And so could Ria. Sighing, he sat down on the couch. He had to get behind this mistery surrounding his daughter, he was worried sick and, to be honest, it drove him nuts not to know anything.

* * *

"No way!"

"You can't lock me up in here."

"Yes, I bloody well can!"

"Jack, please."

"No!"

"Stop acting like a fucking moron!"

"You're my daughter and-"

"And I'm an adult."

"Barely."

"Just for an hour?"

"_I said no!_"

"But you let my go out with Ianto!"

"Yes, _with _Ianto. And he's busy."

"I can take care of myself."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"I am not running away, you Bosh'tet!"

"Hey, you two," Gwen said, entering the office, holding her hands up in front of her "calm down, will you?"

"_I _am calm!" both of them yelled in unison, glaring at each other.

"Yes, we can all hear that." Gwen rolled her eyes. "What's wrong, then?"

"None of your concern."

"He's being unreasonable!" Ria groaned, flopping down on the couch in Jack's office.

"How so?" Gwen asked, sitting down next to her.

"He seems to think that he can keep me inside this freakin' hub for...well, forever! I just need to get some things. Please, Jack?!" the girl pleaded, looking at her father with big puppy eyes.

Jack groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Fucking hell, Jack." Ria shouted. "I told you, I'm coming back. Get over your damn trust issues."

"You ran off at age 14 and I didn't hear from you in over 4 years. I think I'm entiteld to certain _'trust issues'_." the Captain yelled back.

"What if I take her?" Gwen interjected, trying to find a compromise. "I was going to get some lunch anyway, she could come with me? What do you need, sweetheart?" she asked, turning to the girl.

"Most of all? Clothes. I can't keep walking around in your spare stuff."

"I can go get you some things." Jack stated.

"Come on, Jack." Gwen smiled at him. "I'll bring her back in one piece, I promise."

"One hour." the immortal sighed.

"Thanks Jack." Ria smiled, hugging him briefly and placing a kiss on his cheek before taking Gwen's hand, pulling her out of the office. "Come on, then!"

{oOo}

"We might have gone a bit over board." Ria grinned, looking at the shopping bags at her feet.

"It's not our fault there was a sale." Gwen laughed, taking a sip of her coffee.

Wrinkling her nose, Ria looked down at her own cup. "I like Ianto's better."

"There's a lot you like about Ianto, I gather."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the girl asked confused, absently stirring the black liquid.

"You're smitten with the man." Gwen smirked.

"Of course I am." Ria said matter of factly, causing the other woman to raise an eyebrow. "He's handsome, incredibly smart and funny, loving, caring and, most importantly, he's good for Jack. How could I not love him?"

"True." Gwen smiled at the logic behind Ria's statement.

"How are things between you and Rhys, then?" the girl asked.

It was nice to have someone around who cared, Gwen thought. Even though she didn't know why Ria did care at all. She was a little more than a stranger, yet her eyes showed concern and hope, more than Gwen got from her friends and family after the whole disaster with Owen. "Fine." she said with a smile. "No, actually. More than fine. Better than ever. I was such a mental bitch." she groaned with a laugh.

"Kinda, yeah." Ria agreed with a grin. "I'm glad things worked out between the two of you. I like Rhys."

"You don't know Rhys." Gwen chuckled.

"He sounds awesome." the girl shrugged, reaching inside her pocket, pulling out a ringing mobile.

"You got a phone?"

"Are there still people without a phone?" she grinned, before answering. "Some café at the bay. Of course I'm all right." she said, rolling her eyes at Gwen, who had to giggle. "There was a sale and...yes, I bought you some shirts. Yes, I do know your size. No, I didn't charge it on the company card, I got my own money, thank you very much. I don't know, in about 20 minutes, we're just waiting for our order. I'm sure we'll manage, Jack. Right, I'll tell her. Bye."

"Tell me what?"

"That you're in trouble, we've been gone for almost 3 hours. He gets so cranky when he's hungry." Ria laughed.

"We better bring him some pastries, then." Gwen winked.

{oOo}

"That's kind of badass. I like it." Owen grinned when the two women walked back into the hub.

"I have to agree with the man for once, you look hot." John nodded.

"Oh yes, because _hot_ is what I want for my daughter." Jack groaned, looking her up and down.

"Shut up." Ria smirked, turning on the spot, showing off her new outfit. Apart from the almost knee high boots, she was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans - a little too tight, Jack thought - a tank top of the same color and a red military coat.

"Why am I not surprised about the choice of coat? What's it with you people and military attire?" Ianto grinned.

"It has sentimental value." she smiled, running her hands along the sleeves. "Stole it from a soldier. Ben said I couldn't do it, but well..."

"Oh, I remember him." John grinned mischievously. "When did you meet him?"

"Yes, he mentioned you. The man was head over heels for you." Ria laughed.

"Had to climb a bloody roof to retrieve the thing." Gwen complained.

"Never mind that, are we talking about Benjamin Franklin here?" Owen chipped in, eyeballing the coat.

"Who else?" John asked, sharing a 'Wasn't that obvious?' look with his daughter.

"I'll just bring that down to my room, if we're finished with the history lesson?!" Ria asked with a raised eyebrow, taking her bags.

"Let me help with that." Ianto smiled, taking a few of them from her.

Rolling her eyes at him lovingly, she walked off, followed by the archivist.

"Just out of curiosity, is that my name tattoed on your collarbone?" he asked when they were out of earshot.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because I love you just as much as I love him." she smiled matter of factly, pointing at her other collarbone before vanishing in her room.

"Dallin." Ianto read. "Oh, of course." he said taken aback, shaking his head with a grin before following her.

* * *

"No, shoot it in the head, you idiot!"

"Oi! I'm trying."

"Try harder and...no, don't run in there, I got homing granades."

"Then throw one, will you?"

"Watch out, snipers to our left."

"Got them."

"Nice one."

"Just two more left, get the one on the bridge, I'll take out the one on the rooftop."

"Hell yeah!"

"Level complete. That was _awesome_!" Owen grinned, putting the controller down.

"That's because we're awesome." Ria smirked. "Thanks for bringing the Xbox, best idea _ever_."

"Everyone needs a bit of fun once in a while." the doctor smiled, ruffling her hair.

They didn't notice Jack watching them from the balcony in front of his office. He had expected the team to get along with Dorian, somehow everyone always did. Gwen seemed to have almost motherly feelings towards her, which was kind of ironic, given the circumstances in which they had originally met. And the girl normally couldn't stand people fussing over her, but she appeared to almost like the attention she got from Gwen, which worried the Captain to no end. Toshiko, on the other hand, was glad to have another person who was just as big of a tech-nut as her around. The two of them spent endless hours in front of Tosh's computer, chatting away and giggling like teenagers. Which Dorian technically was. He tended to forget just how young his daughter actually was. She had never been a regular child, both her and Dallin had always been strangely mature. And then there was Ianto. The two of them had grown extremely close over the last couple of weeks. It almost looked like she had accepted him as a surrogate father. Or maybe brother, since he was only a few years older. Yes, brother was a fitting term, because the only other person she had ever been this close to was Dallin. What surprised the immortal was the relationship she seemed to have formed with Owen. He wasn't the type to openly show how much he cared for people, but with Ria it was different. And that's why Jack was watching them. If the doctor spent such an unusual amout of time trying to make her feel comfortable, there had to be a rason.

"Can I have a look at your knee now? I am still your doctor."

"It's fine."

"Show me."

Rolling up her jeans, Ria put the leg in his lap.

"Well, that seems to be healing all right." the doctor said, pulling away the bandages and examining the scars.

"See? Told you."

"Does that hurt?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, poking her kneecap.

"No!" she hissed, jerking away her leg.

"That's what I thought." the doctor grinned, pulling the leg back in his lap, fixing new bandages around her knee.

"You're a sadistic son of a bitch."

"And you're a lying cunt."

"Dick."

"Nutter."

"Zombie."

"_Girly!_"

"Take that back!"

"Make me!"

Laughing, she rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at him. "I hate you."

"Right back at ya, sweetheart." Owen smirked, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Still watching the two of them, Jack couldn't suppress a grin forming on his lips at their playful banter.

"What about the other things?" the doctor asked.

Saying nothing, she settled back into her seat and picked up her controller again.

"Damn it, Dorian!" Owen groaned, taking the device away from her. "Have you told Jack? Or John?"

"No." she sighed, leaning back, resting her head on the back of the sofa and closing her eyes.

"You have to talk about this."

"I bloody well don't!" she growled.

"Sweetheart, I mean well. This is serious." Owen said, placing a hand on her cheek.

"What am I supposed to say, huh?"

"I don't know what happened, if you told me I could help."

"No you couldn't."

"Try me." Owen offered.

"No."

"Ria, please."

"I don't want to! Leave me the hell alone, Owen." she warned before getting up and walking away, down to her room.

"Shit." Owen groaned, rubbing his face.

This wasn't good, Jack decided, walking back to his office. Not good at all.

* * *

**A/N:** Leave comments? Pretty please? I'll post the next chapter somewhen this weekend.


	17. The Warrior

**A/N:** Once again, thanks to _StarKayak _for your reviews, you rock! And thanks to everyone else who's reading as well :)

Anyway, we're back to the actual story, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** The team gathers some more clues about what happened while Dorian was gone.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, violence, (mild) gore

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen - The Warrior**

"Shit, Jack, get in here!" Owen yelled from his workstation. He had been doing some paperwork when the rift alert had started to go wild.

"What is it?" the Captain asked, appearing behind him.

"I'm not sure, nothing I've ever seen before."

"Try to reach Tosh-"

"She's meeting us there."

"What about Gwen?"

"She's not picking up her phone."

"Damn it." Jack groaned, rubbing his face.

"Problems?" John asked innocently, walking up from the lower levels.

"You could say that." Owen rolled his eyes.

Jack tapped his earpiece. "Ianto? Get in here."

"Shit, that really does look bad." John said, looking at the doctor's screen and absently biting his lower lip.

"Any idea what it is?"

"Can't say from here."

"Jack?" Ianto asked, walking into the main area, Ria close behind him.

"Get the weapons from the armory. Don't know what we're dealing with here." Nodding, Ianto headed off and the Captain turned to Owen. "Get an emergency kit and head to the car, we'll meet you there. John-"

"Yeah, I'll behave, promise." he smirked, loading his weapon.

"This is serious, I need you right now." the immortal warned. "And where do you think you're going?" he added, turning to his daughter.

"The car?" she tried.

"No way! You're staying here."

"I am not a child. And I probably had more training than your entire team combined."

"This is too dangerous."

"It's too dangerous for me, who went to an Academy for years, but not for your team, who never really know what's happening around them? I'm coming along. And I'm getting my weapons." she decided, walking off to join Ianto.

"You're staying in the SUV, do you hear me?" Jack yelled after her without getting an answer.

"I don't like this, Jack. Something's wrong here." John mused once they were alone. "Whatever it is, it didn't come through the rift, it only used its energy to get here."

"Yeah, I know. Looks like someone tried to make it look like it came through the rift. And it targeted Cardiff, it landed here on purpose."

* * *

"Gwen, nice of you to show." Jack grinned, getting out of the SUV.

"Sorry, didn't hear my phone at first. But Tosh reached and briefed me."

"Any idea what it is yet?" Toshiko asked, typing away on her tablet. "It hasn't moved in the last half hour and its heat signature has been lowering. It looks like it's dying."

"Are you sure? We rarely get this lucky." Ianto pointed out.

"Let's find out. Owen, stay here and monitor everything it does, any changes, call me immediately. Ria's going to assist you." the immortal said, looking at his daughter warningly. "The rest of you, follow me."

Pulling out their guns, they made their way to the entrance of the warehouse. "Okay, stay close and be as quiet as possible." Jack ordered, carefully opening the door and moving in, followed by his team. At first, they couldn't see a thing, but once their eyes had adjusted a little, they were able to spot a creature, cowering in the middle of the open area.

"Is it alive?" Ianto whispered.

"The readings are off the scale, I have no idea what's going on." Tosh said, trying to make sense of the situation.

"And what is it?" Gwen wondered.

As if on cue, the creature jumped up, spreading a pair of leathery wings, floating just above the ground, staring at them with blazing eyes.

"A warrior?" John asked in disbelief.

"Move, all of you, get behind something!" Jack yelled, looking terrified.

"I can't, my legs-"

"Yes, you can, Gwen. It's just making you think that you can't."

"No, really." Ianto agreed. "I can't move."

"Yes you can! You have to fight it, all of you, move!"

"We can't!" Tosh cried horrified.

"Jack, grab them, we have to get out of here!" John shouted, taking hold of Ianto, trying to lift him up.

But before they had a chance to move, the warrior growled, displaying a set of long, needle-like teeth and plunged towards them. Closing his eyes, John waited for the inevitable pain that accompanied such an attack, but it never came. Confused, he opened his eyes again, to find Ria standing between them and the creature, holding a hand up in front of her, the other clenched into a fist. Angry, the warrior moved back and charged at them again, only to be held back by an invisible wall.

"Glad you brought me along now?" the girl grinned, before grimmacing in pain. "Hurry up, move."

"We can't!" Gwen sobbed.

"Yes, you can." she smiled at her and all of a sudden, the three of them didn't have a clue anymore why they had just thought themselves immobile.

"How did you...?"

"Does that really matter right now?" Ria yelled at her.

Screeching furiously, the warrior kept attacking the seemingly empty space between itself and the team.

"Look, I have to turn this off so you can get out. But then it'll be able to get you, so move fast."

"I'll count down from 5, then the three of you run as fast as possible. Got it?" Jack asked, looking from Gwen to Tosh and finally Ianto, shooting him a little smile.

Nodding, they moved closer to the door until the invisible field stopped them.

"Okay, ready? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!" the Captain yelled and the three of them started running. At the same moment, the warrior rushed towards them, elegantly dodging the bullets from Jack's and John's guns.

Pushing the others out the warehouse, Ianto looked back and had barely enough time to widen his eyes before the warrior had pinned him to the ground, snarling on top of him.

"Oh no you don't!" Jack growled, firing a more precise shot, ripping a hole in one of its shoulders.

Screaming, it turned around to face the immortal, giving John the chance to drag Ianto away from under it.

Before any of them had time to react, the warrior was one Jack, snarling again and snapping his neck like a twig.

"Jack!" Ianto cried out, bringing its attention back to him and John.

With an angry howl, the creature lept foreward, but was once again stopped by one of Ria's fields.

"Let's play!" the girl smirked, walking towards the warrior, who - to John's bafflement - seemed unsure of what to do, taking a few steps backwards, before barging at her. Grinning madly, Ria clenched her fists together once and when she opened them again, she was holding a bright red flame in each of her hands. Not noticing what she was doing, the creature pulled her to the ground, trying to bury its teeth in her throat, only to cry out in pain, when she pressed her hands to either side of its head, rapidly burning away the skin. Screaming, the creature fell to its side, giving her an opportunity to roll away onto her stomach, but before she had the chance to get up, the creature was on her again, burying six razor-sharp fingers in her back, cutting through her flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Ianto watched in terror, clasping John's hand, as the warrior raised its arm to strike again, but was temporarily blinded by a bright light. When he was able to see again, the burnt carcass of the creature fell away from Ria, whose whole body was now covered in flames.

"Fuck!" John exlaimed, running up to his daughter. "Baby, stop it, you'll drain yourself." he soothed, trying to touch her head, burning his hand in the process. "Shit!" he yelled, desperately running his fingers through his hair. He was joined by a freshly revived Jack, who looked just as helpless.

"She can't stop it, she's stuck." John explained, looking panicked.

"Ria-" Jack tried to reach out to her, only to be burned as well.

Still in shock, Ianto walked up behind them, staring at the scene in front of him, unable to think straight. On the floor, the girl started to convulse, screaming in pain. Without realising what he was doing, the archivist knelt down besides her, leaned in close and pressed a calming kiss in her hair. As soon as he touched her, the flames vanished. With a sharp intake of air, Ria sat up, throwing her arms around Ianto's neck, pulling him close.

"Thanks." she choked out, before falling back, panting heavily.

Relieved, Jack relaxed, finding himself in a crushing embrace from Ianto, their lips pressed together in a desperate kiss.

"You crazy girl, never _ever_ do this again!" John sighed, pulling his daughter into his arms.

"What the hell happened?" Gwen asked, standing in the door, looking at the four of them in shock.

"We won." Ria grinned, only to start caughing, wincing in pain.

"Let's get you out of here." John smiled at her, getting up and picking her up.

"Gwen, get the stretcher and pack this thing up. Tosh can help you." Jack ordered, still sitting on the floor, holding Ianto close.

With a nod, Gwen was out the door again.

Careful not to cause her any more pain, John carried Ria to the SUV, followed by Jack, who had to hold on to Ianto for support.

"What the fuck happened?" Owen asked when they reached the car.

"Had a little party." Ria said, smiling at him weakly.

"Yeah, I can see that. Are you guys okay?" he raised an eyebrow, looking at John and Ianto.

"Just a few scratches." the archivist shrugged.

"Never mind us, help her!" John snapped at him, laying his daughter down on the backseat.

Climbing in behind her, Owen moved aside her shirt a little, making her wince again. "Sorry sweetheart, but I've got to have a look at that." he tried to calm her, examining the cuts on her back. "Shit, what did this?"

"How bad is it?" Jack asked worried.

"We have to get her back to the hub, now!"

* * *

Standing around the autopsy table in the med bay, Jack, John and Ianto watched as the doctor treated Ria.

"The cuts aren't too deep, she got lucky there." Owen said, cleaning out the wounds. "But look at this." he motioned to the area around the cuts. "They almost look like acid burns."

"Warriors can do this?" John asked confused.

"No, they can't." Jack sighed, rubbing his face.

"As a doctor, I'm a little worried about the whole going up in flames act."

"Another mutation."

"And the force field thingy?"

"That too."

"Fine, but how does it work?"

"We don't really know." Jack admitted.

"Was quite a surprise when they set their crib on fire at age 2." John grinned.

"All we know is that it needs a huge amount of energy to do either of those things. She can't keep up the field for more than a few minutes at a time and I've only ever seen her produce tiny little flames in her hands before." the immortal continued, ignoring the other Captain. "What happened today was more than unusual."

"Where does she get the energy from, though?" Owen mused.

"Herself. Again, I don't really know how. But the longer she keeps it up, the harder it gets and the more it hurts."

"So if teaboy hadn't been able to stop her-"

"She probably would have died, yeah." John finished.

"I can't believe this." Owen murmured, finishing to stitch up the cuts. "Let's move her to the recovery room so I can have a look at that 'warrior'."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Ianto asked, poking his head into John's room. Jack had sent Tosh and Gwen home and was currently with Owen in the med bay, so he had decided to check on the Captain.

"No." the other man sighed, curled up on his bed.

"Stupid question, I guess."

"Yeah."

Walking over to the bed, Ianto lay down next to John, facing him. "That thing today, the warrior, it was waiting for us, wasn't it?"

"I think so."

"Did someone send it?"

"Must have."

"Who?"

Instead of answering, John reached up, stroking the other man's cheek before softly kissing him. When he pulled back, Ianto could see how red his eyes were. Taking his hand, the archivist pressed their lips together again, not knowing how else to comfort the Captain.

Sneaking his hands around Ianto's waist, John pulled him closer, making him wince.

"Cracked rib." the younger man explained.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." he smiled, running his hand through John's hair. Closing his eyes, the Captain moaned softly, enjoying the sensation.

Neither of them noticed Jack entering the room until he sat down on the bed behind Ianto.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Ianto stammered, sitting up. "I was just trying to-"

"I know." the immortal smiled, crawling between the two other men and pulling them close.

Obviously relieved, John placed a hand behind Jack's head, capturing his mouth in a kiss, while reaching for Ianto with his free hand, linking their fingers and stroking his knuckles with his thumb, before resting his head on the immortal's chest. Smiling, Ianto nuzzled his head in the crook of Jack's neck, squeezing John's hand.

"Something's coming." Jack sighed, closing his eyes.

* * *

Ianto woke up a few hours later, sprawled across the bed, his head resting on Jack's back, with John's head resting on his own stomach. _'This is going to be really weird in the morning.'_ he thought, but was distracted by a sound coming from outside the room. Careful not to wake the two other men, he got up, grimacing when he felt his rib throbbing. Opening the door a crack, he could see Ria slumped down on the floor, knees pulled under her chin, crying silently.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, quickly walking over and crouching down next to her, taking her hand. "You're ice cold, how long have you been sitting here?"

Shivering, the girl tried to say something, but choked on her words, when a new wave of tears took her over.

"Hey, it's going to be fine." Ianto soothed, pulling her close. "What happened?"

"I...couldn't...I...don't..." she sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder.

"What are you-" Jack began, walking out of the room, rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned, taking in the scene in front of him, cowering down next to them.

"No idea, I found her like that." the archivist shrugged, stroking her back.

"Come here." the immortal said, pulling her out of Ianto's arms, lifting her up and carrying her back to the room, followed by the archivist.

"What...?" a groggy John asked, when Jack laid Ria down on the bed next to him, sitting down on the edge, joined by Ianto.

"Daddy!" the girl sobbed, snuggling close to her father.

Closing his arms around her, John looked at the other two men. "What happened?"

"We don't know." Jack sighed. "He found her sitting outside in the hall."

"Shit, her back." Ianto gasped, pointing at the blood starting to seep through her shirt. "I'll get Owen." he said, jumping up and running out of the room.

Moving closer, Jack leaned down and pressed a kiss in her hair, trying to calm her.

"Baby, what happened?" John asked.

But Ria just shook her head, the tears still flowing.

"Hey, it's going to be all right." the older man whispered.

Moving away from John, Ria sat up and threw her arms around Jack's neck, burying her head in his shoulder. "Papa...I...I..." she tried to speak between sobs, but couldn't get a whole sentence out.

"What the hell?" Owen asked, storming into the room, followed by Ianto, who carried Benedict.

"We don't know." Jack said, carefully pulling back.

"All right, let me have a look at that. Shoo, both of you." the doctor ordered. "Sweetheart, what happened?" he asked, but didn't get an answer from Ria, who had curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth. "Can I have a look at your back?" he asked softly, reaching out and touching her arm.

Nodding, the girl sat up, working her way out of the shirt she was wearing, grimacing in the process.

Behind him, Owen could hear three sharp intakes of breath. Looking back over his shoulder, he mouthed them not to say anything and they nodded, all of them looking horrified. "All right, lie down on your stomach, I'm just going to have a quick look." he smiled at her and the girl complied.

"And?" John asked impatiently, moving from one leg to another.

"She tore open some of her stitches." the doctor said, already starting to redo them. "I'll give you some painkillers and something that's going to help you fall asleep, okay?" he said gently and turned back to Ria, who nodded.

Relieved, John leaned his head against Jack's shoulder and Ianto sat down on the bed, still holding and absently petting the rumeen.

"All done." Owen smiled at the girl a couple of minutes later, packing away his things and briefly pressing a kiss to her head before getting up.

"We need to talk tomorrow." Jack whispered when the doctor walked past him and out of the door.

On the bed, Ianto was helping Ria into one of John's clean shirts. "Are you feeling a bit better?" he asked, brushing the hair out of her face and stroking her cheek. She smiled at him weakly and nodded.

"That's good." he smiled back.

"Can I stay with you?" she asked, looking up at him, then at her fathers.

"You need a bigger bed." Ianto grinned at John, lying down and opening his arms for Ria, who positioned herself on top of him, resting her head on his chest, one hand in his hair, the other on his shoulder.

With one quick look between them, Jack and John joined them on the bed, the younger man to Ianto's left, protectively resting on hand on his daughter's back and the immortal to their right, laying his hand on top of John's, squeezing it softly. With his other hand, Jack fished for the blanket, pulling it over them.

"Benny!" Ria whistled and Benedict flew over, curling up on her lower back. "One complete family." she mumbled drowsily, already drifting off to sleep.


	18. Glimpse Into The Past

**A/N: **IMPORTANT: I slightly changed this chapter, just as a notice for everyone who is re-reading this. I originally planned to make Ria a much darker character, but decided against it for the sake of the story. For everyone who's reading this the first time; ignore this message and enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who's reading this and especially to the people leaving comments. I really appreciate it!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Glimpses into Ria's past and some more clues as to what has been going on.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, (mentions of) violence, abuse and rape.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen - Glimpse Into The Past**

When Ianto woke up the next morning, Jack and John were nowhere to be seen. Still a little sleepy, he rubbed his eyes. They were probably talking to Owen. He would have to ask Jack about that conversation later. He had assumed that Ria had been through a lot over the last few years, but what he'd seen yesterday had been beyond his wildest guesses. The girls torso had been covered in scars - and several tattoos, now that he was thinking about it - and he couldn't imagine the rest of her body looking any different.

He was brought back to reality by soft whimpering coming from beside him. Ria was asleep, obviously having nightmares. She was tossing and turning, her forehead wet and her hands clasping the blanket. In an attempt to wake her up, he carefully reached out, touching her arm, and everything went black.

* * *

"You should have told me this sooner!" Jack snapped at Owen, pacing around his office.

"I didn't know your relation at first and then she asked me not to-"

"Oh and you listened to her?" John groaned annoyed.

"I am a doctor and she is an adult."

"That's a shitty excuse!"

"It's not an excuse, asshole, it's how things work. Besides, I've been trying to make her talk to you."

"And that worked out _oh so well_." John spat.

"Stop it, both of you!" Jack warned. "Owen, I understand your concerns, but you really should have come to me with this. It could be vital in finding out what is going on."

"And since we've seen most of the damage now anyway, could you just give us the full list?" John asked sourly.

"I guess." the doctor sighed. "But don't come running to me when she gets pissed and burns something down."

"Just get on with it, Harper!"

"There are multiple cuts all over her body, the oldest dating back almost 5 years, the most recent only a couple of months old. Some broken ribs and the missing half of the lung I've mentioned before."

"That's the big ass scar running down from her breast to her hip?" John assumed.

"Yes. Whoever did that was an amateur, she must have been in pain for weeks after the procedure. Anyway," he quickly continued, seeing the distress in both men's faces "where was I? Oh yes, a few broken ribs, twice broken arm, couple of broken fingers, the knee, broken shoulder, the cut I stitched up before and some burn marks."

"And?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow, but Owen just shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

"Damn it, you know exactly what we want to know, just spill it!" John shouted angrily.

* * *

_"Daddy, why do you and Papa hate each other?" Dallin asked, curled up in his father's lap._

_"We don't hate each other." John sighed, stroking his head. "We just don't get along anymore."_

_"Will you stop getting along with us?" Dorian gasped horrified, tears shining in her eyes._

_"Of course not, silly." the man smiled, pulling her closer and pressing a kiss in her hair._

_"Why did you stop liking Papa?" her brother wanted to know._

_"We still like each other."_

_"Then why are you not together like Pap and Gramps?" Ria demanded._

_"Because things don't always work out as you hoped they would." the man said sadly._

_"Is that why we can't come with you?"_

_"It's because I have to work, Dall, you know that. And you do like it here, with Pap and Gramps, don't you?"_

_"But we miss you!" the boy sniffled._

_"Did we do something wrong? Is that why you and Papa are not together? Because we can be better, we promise!" Ria pleaded, starting to cry._

_"None of this is your fault, do you understand me?" John said, swallowing back his own tears, his heart breaking at the words of his children. "You have done nothing wrong and I love you both very much. And so does Papa."_

_Unsure, the twins looked at each other._

_"Can we sleep in your bed tonight?" Dallin asked hopefully._

_"Pleeeeeeease?" Ria added._

_"Sure, go get your stuff." John smiled and the two of them jumped off the couch, running to their room, squealing excitedly._

* * *

"Some of the injuries are self-inflicted and others-" Owen hesitated "-others look like maybe someone used to...cause her harm. Intentionally, I mean."

"So, you're saying she's been tortured?" Jack pressed.

"I can't say for sure, but it does look like it, yes. Especially the burn marks, they're very suspicious."

"We should have seen this before." John sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"You couldn't have. She was in a generally bad state when she first arrived and it's not like she's running aroud nude, showing off her injuries. And she has refused to tell me anything about what or who caused them."

"Another reason why you should have told us!" John snapped at the doctor.

"Look, whatever happened, it must have been traumatic and there's no use in trying to pressure her into telling you."

"He's right, John." Jack said, placing a hand on the other Captain's shoulder. "So she hasn't told you anything at all?"

"No." Owen said, shaking his head. "Every time I tried to get something out of her she snapped at me and ran off. Maybe Ianto should try and talk to her?"

"Maybe." the immortal mused.

* * *

_Dallin was lying on his bed, shivering, tears running down his cheeks, while Dorian was treating some bruises on his wrists and hips.  
_

_"I'm so sorry, Dall." Ria mumbled after a couple of minutes without looking up at her brother, instead keeping her eyes on his injuries.  
_

_He didn't answer, absently staring at the ceiling. Sighing, Ria nudged him softly, urging him to roll over. Wincing, he complied, burying his face in the pillow. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, the girl scanned his back. It wasn't so bad this time, she noticed, and could have slapped herself as soon as the thought had crossed her mind. Of course it was bad. Beyond bad. Lightly stroking his back, she traced a finger along the bloody marks, tears now stinging in her eyes too. Reaching over to the nightstand, she opened a drawer and produced a little flask, carefully applying a lotion to the cuts.  
_

_"All done." she smiled weakly, sitting back on the bed, pulling her knees up under her chin and resting her head on them.  
_

_"How are you?" Dall asked, slowly sitting up and resting his head against the wall.  
_

_"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." she waved him off.  
_

_Letting his gaze wander over his sisters face, he briefly stopped on a black eye and nasty looking cut on her cheek and raised an eyebrow at her.  
_

_"That's nothing compared to what he did to you-"  
_

_"Don't!" he snapped. "Don't you go and pity me!"  
_

_"Sorry." she whispered, closing her eyes.  
_

_"Besides, he's hurting you too. Why do you think he's making you watch? He knows it hurts you twice as much seeing me being abused like that than doing it to you directly." _

_"And there's nothing we can do. Absolutely nothing." Ria whispered, the tears now freely flowing.  
_

_Moving closer, Dallin wrapped his arms around his sister and she immediately snuggled closer to him, returning the embrace.  
_

_"There really isn't." he choked, sobbing into her hair.  
_

* * *

"All right, fine." John said, getting up. "But what about...look, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty fucking sure that I saw...ah, shit!" he groaned frustrated.

"She had a child, didn't she?" Jack finished for him.

"It does look like a scar from a c-section, yes." Owen confirmed.

"So there's a kid somewhere out there?"

"Maybe."

"What's that supposed to mean?" John growled. "What kind of doctor are you?"

"There's a possibility that there is a child. But from what I saw, the incision is too small for-"

"So someone knocked up my daughter and cut out the kid before it was due? I'm going to kill that fucker!" the younger Captain yelled furiously, kicking his chair across the room.

"John, please." Jack tried to calm him, taking hold of his arm.

"Oh, of course, you don't give a shit!" John shoutet at him, freeing himself. "As usual, you don't fucking care."

"Of course I care!" the immortal said weakly, swallowing hard. "But this isn't helping right now."

"I don't give a fuck!" the other man yelled, punching the wall next to him.

"Please." Jack pleaded, looking at him with teary eyes.

"Ah, shit." John groaned, pulling him into a hug and pressing a kiss to his temple.

* * *

_"Kryll?"_

_"Who wants to know?"_

_"I believe I asked you first." the girl grinned at him._

_"I've had people killed for less."_

_"So shoot me."_

_Smirking, the man got up, walked over and orbited her, looking her up and down. "What do you want?"_

_"A job."_

_"We don't have any vacancies."_

_"I'm sure you could arrange something?!"_

_"Are you now?" Kryll grinned, running a hand over her back._

_"Oh, so you can't?" she asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"I didn't say that." the man said, briefly stroking her cheek before standing back and crossing his arms. "Why should I help you?"_

_"Because I'm freakishly adorable?" she offered._

_"Yes, you are. But that alone is not enough, I'm afraid." he said, licking his lips, placing a hand on her hip and pulling her close.  
_

_Trying hard to suppress a shudder, she grabbed a strand of his long dark hair, pulled his head down and pressed their lips together.  
_

_"A wild girl, I like that." the man smirked, yanked her around and pressed her against the wall. "We are going to have so much fun." he whispered, attaching his mouth to her neck, his hands starting to explore her body.  
_

_'Get a grip on yourself! You're close, you can't give up now. It'll all be over soon.' Dorian tried to encourage herself, fighting back her tears.  
_

* * *

"What do we do now?" John asked, holding Jack close, softly stroking the back of his head.

"Normally I would recommend seeing a therapist-"

"But this isn't a normal situation." Jack finished, briefly smiling at John before stepping back, starting to pace again.

"We can't just leave it." Owen said, running a hand through his hair.

"No, we can't." the immortal agreed. "Especially now, with the warrior."

"Yeah, I can't really tell you anything about that, it's completely burnt." the doctor shrugged.

"Doesn't matter, we know who sent it."

"Well, who?" Owen asked, impatiently looking at Jack.

"The agency."

"I thought _'they are no more'_?"

"That's the thing." John sighed, letting himself fall back into a chair.

* * *

_"What happened?" Kryll requested, staring at the scene in front of him._

_"Oh, this?" Ria smirked, standing on a table in the dining hall, surrounded by unconscious bodies and scattered bits of food. "Just having a little fun."_

_"You...you did this?" the man asked disbelievingly._

_"Rather impressive, isn't it?"_

_"But why?"_

_"Why?" the girl snapped. "I'll tell you why, love." she spat mockingly, jumping off the table, walking over to him and placing a hand on his cheek. "For my family." she smiled, before punching the man in the face, sending him flying to the ground._

_"Who are you?" Kryll hissed, carefully touching his broken jaw._

_"I believe you used to know my fathers."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"You really don't know, do you?" she laughed, softly pushing him into a lying position, seating herself on top of him, brushing the hair out of his face. "So beautiful, yet so limited."_

_"I don't understand, what do you want?"_

_"Look into my eyes and tell me what you see." she said sweetly, leaning closer, running her fingers down his chest._

_"They...they have...different colours?"_

_"Good start. Now tell me who you see."_

_"What...?"_

_"LOOK AND TELL ME WHO YOU SEE!" she snarled, yanking his head back, their faces almost touching._

_"Who...I...what are you...I don't..." he stammered confused, until his eyes widened in horror. "Tell me your real name." he gasped._

_"Dorian. Dorian Hart Harkness. This is for my fathers." she smiled at him before pressing her hands to either side of his face, shutting her eyes. The man started to convulse, screaming and kicking, but the girl held on. After a couple of seconds, Kryll stopped moving and went limb. Stumbling to her feet, her nose bleading heavily and her head throbbing, she had to hold on to the table for support._

_"Hey, what are you doing?" a guard yelled, running into the room. _

_"I really hope this works." Ria mumbled to herself, pushing a few buttons on her wrist strap. "Gotta bail, see ya!" she winked at the confused guard, before turning around, running onto the balcony, jumping over the railing and landing in the control room of a space ship, almost tackling the man standing there. _

_"Who are you?" he demanded.  
_

_"Sorry, needed a ride." _

_"What?" _

_"Nice bow...tie?! Ah shit, these things suck!" Ria groaned, pointing at her wrist straps. "Anyway, my father would love this new regeneration." she grinned.  
_

_"Your father?"  
_

_"Oh, sorry, how rude of me! I'm Dorian, it's a pleasure to meet you!" she said, flashing him a trademark Jack smile and the man's eyes grew wide.  
_

* * *

"Well, maybe someone from the past sent it? I mean, before the agency was shut down?" Owen offered, looking at the two other men.

"Impossible, the event is locked in time." John said.

"Which means it is unreachable by time travel." Jack added.

"And only the time agency was able to send those warriors?"

"Everyone can hire them, but only the agency had the means to create them." the immortal explained. "Which means someone must have breached the time lock."

"That's not possible, we would have heard about it." John threw in.

"What do you suggest then?"

"One of them must have escaped just before the lock was activated?" the younger Captain shrugged.

"Highly unlikely, but it seems like the only way." Jack admitted.

"So your daughter vanishes for 4 years, comes back while killing a former time agent and now a warrior, some weird time agency assassin, is sent here? Bit much of a coincidence, isn't it?" Owen said with a raised eyebrow.

* * *

_"Holy fucking shit." Ria groaned, clasping her stomach. "Get it out of me, NOW!"_

_"Lie still, will you?" _

_"I'm trying, but it hurts!" she snapped. _

_"How could you be so irresponsible? A few hours later and he would have killed you!" _

_"Spare me the fucking lecture, will you?" _

_"There must have been another way-"  
_

_"There wasn't another way and you know it, Sam. Sure, this right here wasn't part of the plan, but it's just a minor inconvenience."  
_

_"A minor inconvenience? That's what you call this? That "man", he...he took advantage of you, Dorian!"  
_

_But the girl just shrugged, grimacing in pain at the movement.  
_

_"Damn it!" Sam yelled, frustrated. "That man tortured you, mentally and physically. He raped you, Dori! How can you be so indifferent about this?"  
_

_"Just get on with it, will you?" the girl pleaded.  
_

_"Look, I'm only a trainee, maybe we should get you to a hospital." _

_"Then the last few years would have been for nothing."_

_"I know, I'm sorry." the young man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "But I don't even have the right tools and-" _

_"You've got a scalpel, fucking do it!" _

_"Fine, but this is on you entirely." he said, making the first cut, causing her to cry out in pain. "Sorry, I can't narcotise you, he would notice and kill you instantly. It's a defense mechanism. All I could do was light local anaesthetics." _

_"Damn vermin, the whole freakin' species." Ria spat out between gritted teeth, grabbing the sides of the table she was lying on. _

_"Almost done now..." the man mumbled, before pulling out what on first glance could have been mistaken for a very small human baby. But there was something off about the little boy, his eyes glimmering in an impossible shade of red. When he opened his mouth to utter his first cry, an already complete set of teeth, including a pair of tiny fangs, became visible. Wrapping him up in a blanket, Sam turned to Ria. "Do you want to hold him?"  
_

_"No!" she exclaimed a bit too quickly. "He'll be here any minute to take him away."  
_

_Right on cue, a golden light appeared in the corner of the room and a man stepped out of it. Not losing any time, he walked over to Ria, pulled out what looked like a TV remote control and held it over her wound. Slowly, the cut sealed itself and the girl let out a sigh of relief. Turning around to Sam, the man took the little bundle from his arms, smiling at the sight of the boy. "You know where to find him." he said with a stern look in Ria's direction, before vanishing again, together with the light and the boy.  
_

_"You won't keep him once all of this is over." It wasn't a question.  
_

_"Let's get this over with, then." Ria said, ignoring his statement and sliding off the table.  
_

_"Careful." Sam warned, sliding an arm around her waist to support her. "Are you sure that you're ready for this?"  
_

_"It's now or never, Sammy."  
_

_With tears in his eyes, the man pulled her close, capturing her mouth in a kiss.  
_

_"Oi, what would your husband say if he knew about this?" Ria grinned, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I will come back for you, Sam, I promise." she added, looking determined.  
_

_"I know you will, love." he smiled and with that, she sprinted out of the room.  
_

* * *

"It's not a coincidence." Jack said, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what happened, but we have to find out. Now!"

"Jack, you can't make her tell you." Owen pointed out.

"But she has to. I'm trying to help, I'm worried!" the immortal yelled frustrated.

"Maybe she'll come around, Jackie. I mean after last night?! Maybe she's ready to talk." John soothed, stroking his back. "And she called you Papa, she hasn't done that in ages." he added with a grin.

"Let's go check if she's up."

"Fine, but let me check with her first, look at the cuts, see how she is. I don't want you barging in there." Owen warned.

"Almost sounds like you're worried about her." John smirked.

"I'm her doctor."

"Yeah, that's all, I'm sure." he teased.

* * *

Gasping for air, Ianto came back to reality, tears flowing down his face and Ria staring at him.

"What...what...?" he stammered.

"Bad dreams. You touched me, I was taken by surprise, projected them into your head, sorry." she said, avoiding to look him in the eye.

"Those were memories, weren't they? Not just any dreams."

"Please, Yan, you can't tell anyone." the girl pleaded.

"Those were horrible. Pêt, what happened to you? Talk to me, please."

"I can't...I...really, I can't." she choked out before she started to sob, burying her face in her hands.

"It's going to be fine, I got you." he whispered, hugging her close.

"You know I love you, right?" she suddenly asked, pulling back.

"I love you too, Ri." he smiled at her, brushing away the tears from her face.

"That's why I'm so sorry. I am sorry, believe me, Yanni."

"About what?" he asked confused.

"This." she said, smiling at him sadly before knocking him out.

And then she started to run.

* * *

**A/N:** The first glimpse into Ria's past, what did you guys think? I hope you liked it.


	19. One Hell Of A Day

**Chapter Summary: **One eventful day after the disaster of the previous night.

* * *

**Warnings: **swearing, some mild smut, mentions of violence, abuse and rape

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen - One Hell Of A Day**

**7:33 am**

"What the...?" Owen exclaimed when Ria bumped into him.

"Sorry." she mumbled.

"Baby, we need to talk to you." John smiled at her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I was actually looking for you." she said nervously. "Ianto passed out, I don't know what happened. Maybe pain from the rib?"

"What?" Jack asked concerned, rushing of, closely followed by Owen.

"You are lying." the younger Captain stated, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, John." Ria sighed, pulling him into a hug and briefly pressing their lips together before turning around.

"Don't..." he began, but couldn't finish his sentence, falling to his knees. "What...you...?"

"Forgive me, please." she begged, tears in her eyes.

* * *

**8:17 am**

"Owen? Owen where are you? _Hurry!_" Gwen yelled, crouched down next to John. "Don't you dare die on me, you bastard!"

"What the...?" the doctor asked for the second time that morning, running up to them. "What happened?"

"No idea, I found him like that."

"This looks suspiciously familar." Owen mused, moving his scanner over the man. "Paralyzing lip gloss, ring a bell?"

"Now that's ironic!" Gwen grinned and could have sworn John tried to flip her off.

"He'll be fine. Sadly. Grab his legs and let's move him to a bed."

* * *

**8:20 am**

"Your daughter throws one hell of a punch." Ianto groaned, pressing a cooling element to his head.

Looking at him worriedly, Jack caressed the younger man's cheek with his thumb.

"I'm fine, Jack." he smiled, putting his hand over the other man's.

"What happened?"

"I...saw some things. Memories." Ianto said hesitantly.

"Not particularly good ones, I gather?"

"It was horrible." the archivist sighed, closing his eyes.

* * *

**9:18 am**

"We'll find her, Jack." Tosh tried to assure the man, smiling at him.

"She doesn't have her wrist straps, she won't get far. She doesn't even have any money." Gwen added.

"Actually," Owen started, walking into the office "she does. Stole my wallet."

"How are they?" the immortal asked, leaning back in his chair, looking tired and scared.

"They're going to be fine. Teaboy's already complaining again, so it can't be too bad." the doctor shrugged with a grin. "John will be out for a few hours. Looks like he enhanced the lip gloss, it's much more effective now. Like that was neccessary."

"Thanks." Jack said with a weak smile.

* * *

**10:03 am  
**

"Why would they torture her?" Gwen asked, looking close to tears.

Jack and Owen had just finished telling them about the discussion they'd had before.

"It's the agency." Jack shrugged.

"And we still don't know what happened." Tosh pointed out.

"But she had a baby?" Gwen wanted to know.

"We think so." Owen said.

"Yes, she did."

All eyes turned to Ianto, who had been silent up until now.

"One of the memories?" Jack assumed and he nodded.

"What else did you see?" Owen barked angrily, but Ianto only shook his head. "Damn it, this is not the time for holding back!"

Jack looked at Ianto with a stern expression.

"It's not my place to tell." the archivist said in a final tone.

* * *

**11:37 am**

"How is that even possible?" Jack groaned, pacing around behind Tosh.

"She used side streets and alleyways without CCTV coverage. I'm scanning for her, but this could take a while."

"Any idea where she's headed?"

"She started off in the direction of the city centre, but there's no way to tell, she could have gone anywhere after I lost her."

"What about Owen's cards?"

"She doesn't have the PINs and I doubt she would use them anyway. She knows we could trace her."

"I know." he sighed, walking back off to his office.

* * *

**1:03 pm**

"Oi! What the hell?" Owen groaned annoyed, trying to push John back down on the bed.

"Where is she?" the Captain asked, struggling to get free.

"We're trying to find out. Would you lie the fuck back down?"

"What happened?" John sighed, relaxing back into the pillow when his head started to throb violently.

"Your weapons were used against you." the doctor smirked, grabbing his wrist, checking the infusion.

"Apart from that." the other man snapped, yanking his arm away.

"She ran. No sign of her so far."

"Did you check the hospitals?"

"No, we're bloody amateurs. Of course we did!"

Closing his eyes, John tried hard to think of all the places his daughter could have run to, but the painkillers were making him fuzzy, he wasn't able to focus. He opened them again when he felt the weight of a hand on his shoulder.

"We are going to find her." Owen said, sounding less than sure about his statement.

"Doubt that." John sighed, trying hard to control his temper.

With a sigh, Owen sat down on the edge of the bed, squeezing the other man's shoulder.

* * *

**1:12 pm**

Cuddled up on Jack's bed, Ianto ran his fingers through the older man's hair, placing tiny kisses along his neck and jawline.

"How's your head?" the immortal asked, reaching up, lightly brushing over the bump, making him hiss.

"Had worse." Ianto shrugged.

"Tell me about the memories."

Shuffling uncomfortably, he tried to move away from Jack, but was firmly held in place.

"Please, Yan?! I need to know, this is destroying me." the Captain pleaded.

"Jack, I really don't think it's my place to tell."

"Ianto-"

"Look, I'll make you a deal." the younger man interrupted. "If we haven't found her by tomorrow, I'll tell you. But this is very personal, I want her to have the chance to tell it herself. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yeah." Jack sighed.

Nodding, Ianto captured his mouth in a kiss before resting their foreheads together.

"How bad was it?" Jack asked after a while. "The truth, please."

"Very." the younger man whispered, tightening his hold on the immortal.

* * *

**1:23 pm**

"I can't believe that she hit Ianto." Gwen mused, sitting on the couch in the main area, sipping her coffee. "She adores him."

"She must have been terrified." Tosh next to her offered.

"But why? What did Ianto see?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you think their relationship is a bit...odd?" Gwen asked after a couple of minutes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's the only one who seems to have any control or influence over her. Like, with the eating. She never touches the food we bring her and I've never seen her take anything out of the kitchen either. The only times she actually eats something is when Ianto brings it to her."

"When I first met her, before all of this, you know?" Tosh said, a bit embarrassed. "We were in a restaurant and she said she was starving, but now that you mention it, she barely touched her food. And it's the same with the painkillers and drugs from Owen. He gives them to Ianto and he brings them to her."

"It's like she doesn't care about herself anymore."

"And she does all of those things just to please Ianto."

"She can't stand to see him upset. I mean, remember what John told us about that drunk guy harrassing them?"

"But what's so special about Ianto?" Tosh wondered. "Not that I'm saying he's not special, I love Ianto, but...well, you know what I mean." she added, blushing.

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

**3:19 pm**

"Do you think we should do something?" Tosh asked concerned.

"Be my guest, but I'm not going in there." Owen said, watching Jack and John yell at each other in the immortal's office.

"They're going to be fine." Ianto reassured them, nervously rushing around the hub, cleaning the same things for the third time.

"More than fine, I'd say." Owen raised an eyebrow.

John had Jack pressed against his desk, cupped his face and was kissing him fiercly. After a few seconds, Jack pulled back, smiling at John, before headbutting the other man. Grinning, John shoved him against the wall, kissing him again, only to receive a punch to the stomach. With a smirk, Jack pulled him up, pressing their lips together for a third time, before manoeuvring the younger Captain out of his office, slamming the door in his face. Throwing his head back with a laugh, John jumped down the stairs, winked at the confused team and walked off to the lower levels.

"What the fuck?" Owen exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

"How do you stand the two of them?" Gwen asked Ianto, who just shrugged, rolling his eyes.

* * *

**4:37 pm**

With a frustrated sigh, Owen put down the book, rubbing his face. He hated this. Sitting around, unable to do anything wasn't really his thing. He'd been doing way too much of that ever since he died.

"Are you okay?" Tosh asked shyly, standing in the door of the recovery room where he was lying on a bed, trying to distract himself with 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. Which wasn't working out too well, since it was Ria's book and only reminding him of the problem at hand.

"Sure." he shrugged.

"No, you're not." she smiled at him, sitting down on the end of the bed. "We're all worried."

"Mhm."

"You can act tough all you want, Owen, I don't blame you. I just want you to know that I'm here for you, if you need me." she said, before getting up again. She was surprised to find the doctor's hand on her arm, holding her back.

"Thanks Tosh. I appreciate it. It's just...look, I'm crap at this, okay?"

"I noticed." Tosh grinned, sitting back down again.

"Yeah, well, I'm trying. I'm just not the sharing type."

"It's fine." she smiled.

* * *

**5:58 pm**

"What the fuck?!" Ianto demanded, walking into John's room, trying to cover his ears while balancing a tablet with coffe and the Captains favourite biscuits.

Grinning at the fact that he had made the usually polite man swear, John aimed his gun and took another shot at the ceiling.

"Have you gone completely mad now?" Ianto sighed, setting the tablet down on the bedside table.

Without warning, John reached for the younger man's arm, pulling him down on the bed, immediately straddling him. "Just having a little fun." he smirked, leaning down and pressing a brief kiss to Ianto's lips.

"Yeah, well, my idea of fun doesn't normally include someone pinning me to a bed while waving around a loaded weapon. And don't even think about making a dirty joke here!"

"Spoilsport." John pouted, but moved away, carelessly throwing his gun to the floor, making Ianto flinch.

"Owen said to get some sugar into you - again, don't you dare - so I brought down some biscuits. You're going to eat them, because I don't fancy him yelling at me. My head feels like it's about to explode and I'm about to throw up because my rib aches with every move, so just do what the bloody hell you're told to for once, all right?!" the younger man ranted, looking at the Captain intently, holding one of the biscuits out to him.

"What if I don't want to?" John teased, trying to find out just how much he could provoke the other man. "What are you going to do then?" he asked, sitting up, shedding his shirt and kicking of his boots to make himself more comfortable.

"I'm going to make you." Ianto stated nonchalantly, pushing him down on the bed, ridding him of his belt. Running a hand down his chest and over his stomach, he softly carassed his hips before opening the buttons of his jeans.

Smirking and moaning slightly in anticipation, John sat up to steal a kiss, but the archivist was quick and stuffed one of the biscuits in his mouth. "Bloody tease." John groaned, falling back on the bed, but actually starting to nibble on the food.

"You don't have to act in front of me, you know that, right?" Ianto asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"But it's easier." John sighed.

Smiling, Ianto leaned down, pressing a comforting kiss to John's forehead. "Now eat!" he ordered with a grin, settling down as well, resting his head on the Captain's stomach.

* * *

**8:28 pm**

"Ianto?" Gwen asked, appearing behing him in the kitchen.

"Coffee will be done in a minute." he said without even turning around.

"Thanks. But I actually wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Ria."

Finally turning around, Ianto looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I was just wondering. You two are really close, aren't you?"

"Suppose so." he shrugged, musing where she was going with this.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" he asked confused.

"Look, it's just a bit odd." she said nervously.

"What do you mean?" he demanded, growing annoyed with the conversation.

"It's like you have some sort of control over her. Like, you're the one making her eat, you're the one making her study, you're the one making her take her meds-"

"I know." Ianto interrupted her with a sigh, rubbing his face. He had seen Owen trying to make her take some pills, but she had insisted on being fine. All it had taken in the end was a _'Please?'_ from Ianto and she had swallowed them without further protest. As for the eating, he was very aware of that. And even if he managed to make her eat something, it was only a few bites. Which was better than nothing, he supposed.

"Sometimes it almost seems like you're her parent and not Jack and John." Gwen laughed.

"She's like a little sister to me." the archivist smiled.

"But that doesn't explain that connection between the two of you."

"She says I remind her of Dallin."

"I don't think she ever came to terms with his death."

"Neither have Jack and John."

"We really have to find out what's going on, for the sake of all of them." Gwen stated determined.

"I agree." Ianto smiled at her, picking up the tablet with the freshly filled cups.

* * *

**9:33 pm**

"Jack?!" Owen asked, sticking his head into the immortal's office.

Without looking up, Jack motioned the doctor to enter. "How is everybody?"

"Tosh and Gwen are worried. Don't know about John and Ianto, they've been down in his room for hours today. Don't wanna know what the hell they're doing either." Owen grimaced. "I thought you and teaboy were a couple now?" he added with a grin and raised eyebrow.

"I don't like that word." Jack stated, still scribbling in his journal.

"So you're not?"

"Didn't say that." the Captain said, unable to suppress a little smile.

"I don't know why he keeps up with you." Owen rolled his eyes.

"Me neither." Jack sighed, looking up at the doctor. "Is there anything else?"

"How are you?"

"Fine."

"Don't give me that crap. I may be your employee and your doctor, but I'm also your friend. So let me ask again; how are you, Jack?"

"I've been better." the immortal admitted.

"You couldn't have known."

"I should have." Jack groaned, rubbing his face. "I knew something was wrong. More than what was obvious, I mean. But I was so relieved to have her back, so I didn't ask. I pretended like everything was fine, because I was scared of what the truth might be. One part of me desperately wanted to find out, but another part just kept pushing it all away."

"If she's half as stubborn as you - or John - you wouldn't have gotten anything out of her anyway. God knows I've tried. And despite what you might think, I'm a pretty decent doctor and know my way around this sort of thing."

"But I'm her father-"

"Exactly. And she's a teenager."

"They used to tell us everything." Jack sighed sadly.

"We are going to find out what happened to her and we are going to make her better. I promise, Jack."

"If we find her."

"We will."

"I can't lose her, Owen. Not again." Jack said weakly, quickly rubbing the moisture from his eyes.

* * *

**10:13 pm**

"What's he doing?" Tosh asked confused, looking up at Benedict, who was screeching furiosly, nervously flying around the main area of the hub.

"He's looking for her." Ianto said with a sad smile.

* * *

**11:45 pm**

"Are the others gone?" Jack asked when Ianto brought a new cup of coffee up to his office.

"Nope."

"Why not?" he wanted to know, confused.

"Because they are your friends, Jack." Ianto rolled his eyes.

"So they ignore my orders?" the Captain pouted.

"Pretty much." the younger man grinned, briefly running his hand through Jack's hair.

Taking hold of his waist, Jack pulled Ianto into his lap and started to place light kisses on his neck. "What were you doing in John's room?" he asked, caressing his lover's tigh.

"Feeding him."

"That all?" he wanted to know, slowly moving his hand up the othet man's leg.

"Why? Are you jealous?" Ianto smirked.

"Do I have to be?"

"So you actually do jealousy?" the archivist raised an eyebrow.

With a predatory smile on his lips, Jack pushed Ianto away and against his desk, got up and moved in close, his hands on either side of the younger man.

"Is that a yes?" Ianto teased.

"Yeah." Jack said, turning serious for a brief moment, before capturing the other man's mouth in a fierce kiss.

Smiling, Ianto let out a small moan, closing his arms around Jack, running his hands up and down the immortal's spine.

Loosening the other man's tie, Jack began to suck on his neck, his hands starting to open his shirt.

"You're going to leave a mark." Ianto complained.

"I know." Jack grinned, pulling back and admiring his work.

"But how am I supposed to explain this to John?" the archivist gasped in mock distress.

"You are a mean and naughty man, Ianto Jones." Jack laughed, pressing a kiss to his nose.

"If the two of you are finished?" Gwen grinned, standing in the door.

"Is there something you need?" Jack asked, not even thinking about letting go of Ianto, pressing kisses to his neck again.

"We found her."

"Where?" the immortal asked, jumping away from Ianto, moving across the room.

"The police have her."

"What happened?" Jack demanded, already putting on his coat.

"We don't know. Andy called and all he said was that they have a girl named Dorian in their custody and that she told them to call Torchwood."

"And they listened to her? Just like that?" Ianto wondered, fixing his clothes.

"Looks like it." Gwen shrugged.

"Just move, people, will you?" Jack urged, ushering them out of his office.

* * *

{oOo}

* * *

**7:40 am**

Breathing heavily, Dorian was dashing across the Plass.

_'I should have put on some shoes.'_ she thought, looking down at her soking wet feet.

**xxx  
**

_"You're an idiot." Dall said, rolling his eyes at his sister._

_"Well, what was I supposed to do?" _

_"How about not sneaking out to meet your boyfriend?" _

_"He's not my boyfriend."_

_"Yeah right."_

_"We were shooting glowfish, that's all." _

_"Of course." he grinned, earning himself a slap to the head, poking one of the cuts on her foot in return._

_"Ouch!" Dorian hissed, trying to pull away. _

_"Don't be such a girl." _

_"But it hurts." she pouted. _

_"That's why normal people put on shoes before running through thorn bushes to get home before their grandfathers notice they have snuck out to meet their boyfriends. Actually, scrap that. Normal people just don't run through anything with thorns on it." _

_"But he's gorgeous!" Ria smirked. _

_"Oh, I know." Dall agreed, chuckling._

* * *

**8:02 am**

Crouching in an alleyway behind a dumpster, Ria was panting, trying to catch her breath. Running around with only half a lung definitely sucked. Very much so. Rubbing her aching knee, she tried to focus. Her plan hadn't actually involved a whole lot more than getting out of the hub and as far away from the pending questions as possible. Well, that had been a mistake.

"Fuck." she groaned, sliding down the wall, slumping to the ground.

**xxx**

_"Riri, where are we going?" Dall asked, taking his sister's hand, looking around, frightened._

_"We are going to find Daddy!"_

_"How?"_

_"I-" Ria hesitated, biting her lower lip. With the total innocence of a 6 year old, she hadn't thought about where to go after leaving their grandparent's house. And so the twins were now sitting on a bench on top of the hill were Leo usually took them for walks._

_"You don't have a plan, do you?" Dallin sighed, bringing his legs up to his chest._

_"No." his sister admitted with a grin._

_Rolling his eyes, Dall rested his head on her shoulder. "We have to go back."_

_"Soon." Ria smiled, snuggling closer to her brother._

_"We are going to get in so much trouble."_

_"I know." she laughed._

* * *

**8:45 am**

"Ey there, kitten."

Startled, Ria looked up at the obviously intoxicated man.

"How about some fun?" he grinned, leaning closer.

**xxx**

_"How about some fun?" the man smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. _

_"How about you get away from my sister?" Dall asked with a raised eyebrow, slightly tilting his head before slamming his fist into the guy's face. _

_"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Ria groaned, rolling her eyes. _

_"But you're my baby sister." her brother grinned, flexing the muscles in his hand._

_"We are _exactly _the same age."_

_"Yeah, whatever." he laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her temple._

_"Idiot." she grinned, rolling her eyes again, nudging his side and resting her head on his shoulder._

**xxx**

"Sorry mate," Ria smiled up at the man, before headbutting him, sending him to the ground. "but I need your shoes."

* * *

**10:01 am**

Sitting in a tiny café somewhere in a secluded side street, Ria was staring down at her cup of coffee, which tasted awful, because it wasn't Ianto's.

**xxx**

_"I don't like it." Dallin pouted, shoving away his plate. _

_"Me neither!" Dorian quickly added, trying to climb out of her chair._

_"It's your favourite." Jack sighed, picking up his daughter._

_"It tastes funny." Dallin complained, poking at it with his fork._

_"Funny how?" Jack asked, rolling his eyes. Were all 4 year olds this exhausting?_

_"Different." Dorian said, cleaning her hands on her father's shirt, much to the man's annoyance. _

_"It's exactly the same as Daddy's." Jack tried, looking at them hopefully._

_"But he didn't make it." Dallin stated._

_"Where is Daddy?" Dorian demanded, looking at Jack with a trembling lower lip._

_"He'll be back in a few days." Jack smiled at her._

_"But then you are going to leave." Dallin said sadly._

_"Why can't both of you stay?" Dorian asked disappointed, resting her head on Jack's shoulder._

_Sighing, Jack pressed a kiss to the top of her head, stroking his son's back._

* * *

**10:35 am**

"Can I get you anything else, hun?" the owner of the café, a short, grey-haired woman in her early 60s, asked with a smile.

"Thanks, I'm fine." Ria said, weakly returning the smile.

"You don't look fine." the woman said with a raised eyebrow, sitting down opposite her, resting her hand on top of Ria's.

**xxx**

_"Well, you don't look fine." Dall stated, sitting on the edge of his sister's bed. _

_"Drop it already." she sighed, pulling the covers over her head. _

_"Talk to me?" _

_"No." Ria mumbled. _

_"Please?" her brother pleaded. _

_Grumbling, she held one hand out from under the blanket, offering it to him. _

_Closing his eyes, Dall took it, allowing his sister to show him. "That's gross!" he laughed after a few seconds. _

_"Shut up!" Ria snapped, pinching his arm. _

_Still laughing he got up and walked into the enclosed bathroom. Ria could hear him rummaging and after a couple of minutes, he pulled back the covers, offering her a hot-water bottle. _

_"Thanks." she murmured, pressing it to her stomach, curling up around it. "I hate being a girl."_

_"I can imagine." Dall grinned, cuddling up to his sister, pulling the covers over them both. _

**xxx**

"Sorry, I have to go." Ria said, stumbling to her feet, pulling out a few bills and quickly leaving the café.

* * *

**11:29 am**

Walking around the city, Ria tried hard to shove away the memories. "Stop remembering!" she muttered under her breath, nervously running her hands through her hair. Looking up to the sky, she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of the light drizzle. Her mouth tasted like strawberries and there were violins playing in her head. "I love rain!" she smiled, turning around on the spot with outstretched arms.

**xxx**

_"What is wrong with you today?" John sighed frustrated, raising an eyebrow at his daughter. _

_"It's one of those days." Dallin said. _

_"It's been a month again already?" _

_"No. One of the over stimulating ones. Thank Saliha I'm in a good mood." Dall grinned. "Blueberry muffins and Mozart." he smiled, strolling out of the kitchen. _

_"What about you?" John asked, sitting down next to his daughter, pulling her close. _

_"Fucking lemons." she groaned, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck._

**xxx**

"I said stop it!" Ria yelled, slamming her fist into a wall. Pain shot up her arm, instantly filling her mouth with a bitter taste, the violins replaced by howling. "Shit." she groaned, rubbing her head.

* * *

**1:12 pm**

Sitting on top of the tallest building she could find, Ria took the last sip of whisky before throwing the bottle down on the street, watching it shatter. _'That should help.'_ she thought.

**xxx**

_"Papa's going to kill us." Dallin giggled._

_"Be quiet, will you?" Dorian grinned, quietly opening the door to Jack's office._

_Carefully walking over to the hatch, Dall looked down into the bunker. "He's sleeping." he whispered._

_"I'd hope so." Ria said, opening one of the drawers of Jack's desk. "Here we go!" she smirked, producing a bottle of light blue liquid._

_"Hypervodka." her brother grinned, taking the bottle away from her, opening it and wrinkling his nose. "It smells."_

_"Give it here!" Ria laughed, taking a sip. "Shit, that tastes awful."_

_Curious, Dall copied her and grimaced at the bitterness of the drink. _

_"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms in front of his chest, casually leaning against the wall._

_Startled, the twins looked at each other, breaking out in a fit of giggles. _

_"Go to your room, now!" Jack said with a stern expression. "We're going to talk about this tomorrow."_

_"Yes, dad." they said simultaniously, looking down at their feet. _

_"I said now!" _

_Almost tripping over each other, they scrambled away and out of the office. _

_"Kids." Jack laughed once they were gone, flopping down in his chair._

**xxx**

_'Ok, maybe a bit more than one bottle is in order.'_ she thought with a groan, opening a beer.

* * *

**3:28 pm**

More than a little drunk, Ria tried to balance on the railing of the roof she had been drinking on for the last couple of hours, dangerously swaying to and fro. Stumbling over her own feet, she fell and, out of sheer luck, landed back on the roof instead of the street over 50 stories down. Rubbing her head, she broke out in laughter, which soon turned into tears and no more than five minutes later, she was sprawled across the floor, sobbing miserably.

**xxx**

_"Open the door. Please?" _

_Ria was sitting with her back to the wall, her knees pulled under her chin, sobbing. _

_"Please, lun'â."_

_Stretching her hands out in front of her, she looked at the blood sticking to them. _

_"It was not your fault." _

_'It was all my fault.' she thought._

_"Talk to me."_

_Running her fingers through her hair, she tried to get a grip on herself._

_"I need you." Jack whispered on the other side of the door._

_In a heartbeat, Ria was out of her room and in her father's arms, desperately clinging to him, her legs around his waist, her hands clasping the back of his shirt and her head pressed into the crook of his neck. "He's gone." she choked out between sobs._

_Unable to say anything, Jack slumped to the ground, his daughter still in his arms. Feeling his own tears running down his cheeks, he stroked her back, pressing his face in her hair._

* * *

**5:45 pm**

"Of course, just go straight down the road until you see the butcher's shop and then turn left."

"Thank you _so_ much, you're my hero!" Ria said, flashing the stranger a huge smile.

"You're welcome." he said, turning around, starting to walk away.

"Idiot." the girl grinned, opening his wallet.

"HEY!"

Ria's head snapped up and she stared at the other woman.

"I saw what you just did there. Someone call the police, that girl is a thief!" she yelled, attracting attention from the other pedestrians.

"Shit!" Ria groaned, turned on her heels and started to run._  
_

**xxx_  
_**

_"There's no way to run, little girl." the man smirked, looking down at Ria with an amused expression on his face._

_Without saying anything, Ria stood up, using the wall as support, and stared at the man with a wicked grin._

_"What are you so happy about?" he grunted and got the answer in the form of bloody saliva, spat right into his face._

_"You stupid little bitch!" he growled, grabbing a fistful of her hair, ramming her head into the wall, causing Ria to slump to the ground, blood trickling down from her forehead._

_"Say you're sorry!" he yelled angrily, crashing his foot down on her hand._

_Ria only flinched slightly before breaking out in histerical laughter, tears running down her bruised face._

_"What is so fucking funny?" the man demanden, pulling her up again._

_"You are."_

_With a furious growl, she was thrown across the room, the man on top of her in an instant._

_"You are going to behave, do you understand me?" he whispered, pinning her arms to the ground with one hand and opening the button of her trousers with the other._

* * *

**7:12 pm  
**

"Give it back!" the little girl yelled, tears running down her face.

"What's the matter, Brynn? Can't you reach it?" the boy teased, holding her doll over his head.

"Stop it, Tristyn!" she pleaded, but he only wiggled the toy, standing on tiptoes and grinning at his little sister.

"I hate you! You are the worst!" the girl cried, turned around and stormed off, tripping over the edge of the sandbox, falling flat on her face.

"Bry, are you all right?" the boy asked worriedly, running over to her and helping her up.

_'Always sticking together if the worst comes to the worst.'_ Ria grinned, sitting on a swing, watching the siblings banter. Taking a sip from her bottle, she realised that she was out of booze, got up on wobbly knees and made her way to the next gas station.**********  
**

**xxx**

_"Do you miss your brother?" the man teased, towering over Ria, grinning down at her._

_The girl didn't say anything and turned away, facing the wall._

_"Look at me!" he growled, pulling her head around. "I miss him too, you know? Touching him, kissing him, being inside-"_

_With a pained cry, he jumped up, clutching his face._

_Smirking, Ria winked at him, spitting out a bloody piece of the man's cheek. _

_Howling angrily, the man kicked his foot into her side, only causing her to laugh. "Stop laughing at me!"_

_"Nope." she grinned at him provokingly. _

_"I am going to teach you some manners!" he yelled just as his foot connected with her jaw._

* * *

**9:36 pm_  
_**

"ID please."

"Sorry, don't have it with me." Ria said with a slight pout, making puppy eyes at the bouncer.

"Can't let you in, then."

"Are you sure?" she asked, leaning close to him.

"Yes I...what is...do you smell that?" the burly man frowned.

"What do you smell?"

"A good steak...red wine...my...my wife's perfume.."

"That's lovely." Ria smiled sincerely. "Can I go in?"

"Yeah, sure, go on." the man said absently, gazing into space.

"Thanks." she grinned, slipping into the bar.

* * *

**10:17 pm**

"Another scotch. Double. Tripple. Quadru...whatever the biggest fucking glass is you have, mate." Ria slurred, letting her head fall on the bar.

"Don't you think that you've had enough?" the barkeeper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not even close." she grinned, putting a twenty on the counter.

"Whatever." the man shrugged.

**xxx**

_"Drink this." the man said, putting a bottle of water next to Ria._

_"Not thirsty." she said without opening her eyes or looking at him. _

_With a frustraded groan, grabbed her face, almost pushing the bottle down her throat, causing her to gag. _

_"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he sighed, cupping her face. "Although, it does kinda turn me on." he added with a grin, sneaking his other hand under her shirt._

* * *

**10:57 pm _  
_**

"You here alone, sweetheart?" someone asked, plopping down on the bar next to her.

Hardly able to focus, Ria looked over at the guy. Short black hair, beard, black jeans, leather jacket - actually quite handsome. Without a warning, she grabbed the front of his shirt, pressing their lips together. Surprised, the man went rigid for a moment, before putting his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

**xxx_  
_**

_Fixing his clothes, the man grinned down at Ria. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?"  
_

_"Meh, I've had better." the girl shrugged, trying to wind him up.  
_

_"So you're ready for another round?" he smirked, yanking her up by her arm, dislocating the shoulder in the process. "Yeah, didn't think so." he laughed, spotting the shudder she had tried and failed to suppress.  
_

_Angry with herself for letting him see her weakness, she pulled away, holding on to one of the bars with the hand of her injured arm, setting it back in place with a crack.  
_

_"Nobody likes a showoff." he scolded, knocking her over the head with the handle of his gun. "You know what? This has made me horny again." he smirked, straddling her and running a dirty hand over her cheek.  
_

**xxx_  
_**

Pulling away from the stranger, Ria jumped up.

"Hey, where are you going?" the man asked, lightly grabbing her wrist. Before he knew what was happening to him, he was lying on the floor of the bar, blood flowing from his nose. "Crazy bitch!"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" the bouncer asked. "Get the hell out of here or I'm calling the cops!" he yelled angrily, trying to push her out of the door.

Suddenly furious, Ria kicked and screamed, hitting the man in the nuts.

"What the..." he hissed, leaning on to a table for support. "Call the damn cops, Hugo!"

* * *

**11:28 pm  
**

Two police officers were escorting Ria out to the car, while another was leaning against a wall, pressing some ice to his head. The fourth one was lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Call Torchwood."

"What now?" Andy looked at her, confused.

"Call Torchwood." she repeated.

"Why?"

With a sigh, she gave him her name and the security codes of all 5 Torchwood members before falling back against the headrest, ignoring everything and everyone around her, giving into the bad memories, shutting herself away inside her mind.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you think? I hope you liked it.

Translation of Lun'â is obviously moon.

And I decided to make the twins synesthesic, because it seems futuristic and fun. Not sure if that's going to be a big plot point yet, but meh *shrugs*


	20. Understanding

**Chapter Summary:** Dorian shares some memories with her father.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, (mentions of) violence, abuse and rape

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen - Understanding**

Not sure if he should be more furious or relieved, Jack walked into the Cardiff police station, followed by Owen and Gwen. It had taken almost half an hour to convince John to stay back at the hub. Jack needed his medic with him, since they didn't exactly know what state Ria was in and Gwen was their official police liaison. But John had refused to see the logic behind this. So their argument had soon become a shouting match and had ended in Ianto slapping them both over the head, telling them to stop behaving like children. If he thought about it, furious was definitely winning right now.

"Bloody Torchwood again." Andy grinned walking towards them.

"Thanks for calling, Andy." Gwen smiled at him.

"What happened?" Jack demanded.

"Bar disturbance. Needed 4 people to take her in, knocked out two of them in the process. Feisty little thing."

"How did you know to call us?" Gwen asked.

"She told us to. Knew all the security codes and everything." he shrugged.

"Just take us to her." Jack ordered, growing more angry by the minute.

"Sure, Captain Grumpy. It's right down the corridor."

Trying to suppress a grin, Gwen followed him. Owen didn't even make the effort, he walked after them with a big smirk on his face. Jack followed a few steps behind them, finding it extremely difficult not to snap at anyone.

"What the hell?!" Owen exclaimed when they reached the cell, causing Jack to sprint the last few metres until he was standing besides the doctor. Looking at his daughter, his anger vanished instantly and was replaced with worry. Ria was sitting on the bench in her cell, her eyes closed and her head resting against the wall. There was a nasty cut above her left eye and bruises all over her arms. What worried Jack the most, though, were the silent tears running down her cheeks. If there was one thing his daughter didn't do in front of strangers, it was cry.

"You could have cleaned her up at least!" Owen yelled.

"No, we couldn't."

"Why not, Andy? Don't take me for an idiot, I've been a police woman too, remember?"

"Has anyone even checked on her?" the doctor continued.

"You don't understand." Andy tried to defend himself. "We literally couldn't do anything. Watch." he said, opening the cell, but unable to get inside, stopped by an invisible wall. "As soon as she was in there, we couldn't get in anymore."

"Hey sweetheart, it's us." Gwen smiled at her. "Please let us in?"

Opening her eyes, the girl looked at her, but seemed to have a hard time focusing on her words.

"Are you drunk?" Owen asked, his eyes growing wide. "Bloody perfect."

Tilting her head, Ria stared at the doctor, but still seemed to be somewhere far away. Looking past him, she spotted Jack and made a whimpering sound, pulling her knees up and resting her head on them, closing her eyes again.

"The memories wouldn't go away." she whispered without looking up.

Careful not to startle her, Jack walked up to the cell, stretching out his hand to test if the barrier was still up. It wasn't and so he sat down beside her, reaching out to touch her head, but she flinched away, jumped up and almost fell over.

"Don't."

"At least let Owen take a look at your head."

"No!"

"Please, don't be unreasonable."

"It's too much." she groaned, furiosly rubbing her temples. "Mustard, Jack."

"What exactly is she on?" Gwen raised an eyebrow, looking at Owen, who just shrugged.

But Jack seemed to understand, shooting her a sympathetic smile. "My day tasted mostly like peaches."

Wincing, Ria pressed her forehead against the cool wall of the cell.

"Am I missing something?" Andy asked confused.

"Not more than we are, mate."

"Let's just get going." Jack said, walking out of the cell, closely followed by Ria who was careful not to touch anyone. "Did she have anything with her when you took her in?"

"Just a second." Andy said, walking over to the counter and sticking his head into an enclosed room. "Holly, could you bring out the Torchwood girl's things?"

A few moments later, a young woman emerged from the room, carrying a plastic box and handing it to Andy.

"Okay, there's a jackknife." he began, taking it out of the box.

"I'm gonna take that." Jack said, quickly putting it away in one of his coat pockets.

"A wallet." Andy continued.

"That would be mine." Owen said, taking it from him. "There's more money in here than when you took it!" he exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at Ria, who just stared down at the floor, nervously biting her nails.

"Notebook and amulet."

This time, Ria was quick to grab the items, pressing the amulet to her lips before sliding the chain over her head and the notebook in her pocket.

"And keys." Andy finished, handing them to Jack. "You realise this isn't strictly procedure? Like, not at all?"

"Just say the usual." Gwen smiled.

"Torchwood business, got it." Andy rolled his eyes. "Is she all right?" he asked, looking at Ria who was muttering in a language he didn't understand, clenching and relaxing her fists over and over again.

"No." Jack said bluntly before walking out, the girl close behind him and Owen following them with a stern look on his face.

"Thank you, Andy." Gwen said a last time, briefly hugging him. "We'll talk." she added, following the others out of the station.

"You're welcome. It's not like I've got anything else to do." he said, rolling his eyes at Holly, who shrugged confused.

* * *

"Let me just take a look-" Owen began, reaching out to brush the hair out of Ria's face, who flinched back, violently slapping away his hand.

"Hun, it's fine." Gwen smiled, turning around in the passenger seat.

Narrowing her eyes, Ria pulled her legs up on the seat, hugging them tightly to her chest.

"Sweetheart, tell me what's wrong." Owen said softly, this time avoiding to touch her.

The girl looked relieved, but didn't answer.

"What's wrong with her?" Gwen asked concerned.

"The memories wouldn't stop." Jack sighed, saying something for the first time since they had left the station.

"I think whatever happened while she was gone is finally catching up with her."

"You mean the abuse and-" Gwen began, but stopped and bit her lip when both Jack and Owen shot her deadly looks. "Sorry." she muttered, looking out of the window to avoid their angry stares.

"I want to go home." Ria choked out weakly.

"We're on our way to the hub, sweetheart." Owen tried to comfort her.

"No! I want to go home!" she stated, more fiercly this time.

Confused, Owen looked at Jack, who was already talking to Ianto over the comm.

_"We'll be there in about 40 minutes."_ the archivist said._ "How is she?"_

"In a bad state." Jack sighed, looking at his daughter - who seemed to have zoned out completely - in the rearview mirror.

* * *

They could hear yelling as soon as they got out of the car. Sharing a worried look, John and Ianto quickly sprinted up the stairs to the younger man's flat.

"Back off, Gwen!" Owen shouted angrily just as they entered the door.

"I was just trying to help." Gwen muttered, tears running down her face.

"Well, you're not! Look at her!" the doctor continued, pointing at Ria who was cowering in the corner of Ianto's living room, a look of horror on her face.

"I think you better go now."

"Jack, I'm sorry-"

"Go home, Gwen." the immortal sighed, obviously on the edge of a fit of rage himself.

Looking down at her feet, Gwen rushed out of the apartment, not even glancing up at the two men who had just arrived.

"What happened?" John demanded, taking a few steps towards his daughter, who whimpered and pressed even harder against the wall. "What did that bitch do this time?" he growled.

"She's in shock. Delayed shock." Owen explained. "All the things that happened, they have finally cought up with her. Everything." he said, looking at them intently.

"And Gwen?" Ianto asked.

"Wouldn't stop trying to touch her." Owen spat. "Damn woman doesn't understand what's going on here and tried to pull her into a hug."

"And she freaked out." John finished, biting his lower lip.

"Forced physical contact is the last thing she needs right now. I don't exactly know what's happened to her, but she seems to be reliving it over and over again in her head." the doctor continued.

"We haven't been able to get through to her for the last 30 minutes. I'm not even sure she recognises us right now." Jack sighed frustrated, cowering next to his daughter, careful not to enter her personal space.

"What do we do now?" John asked, joining Jack.

"I really have to take a look at her head. That cut looks nasty. I might have to sedate her."

Sitting down opposite of the girl, Ianto began to speak in a soft and soothing voice. "It's all right, pêt, you're safe. Everything is going to he fine. Do you understand me? It's all right."

"It's no use." Jack sighed, when Ria didn't show any reaction.

"Hynny, snap out of it, please." Ianto continued, ignoring the Captain. "No one is going to hurt you, we're here to help. It's going to be fine. Look at me, please."

Very slowly, Ria lifted her head and her eyes locked with Ianto's. Smiling, he held a hand out to her, giving her the choice wheater to take it or not. Carefully, the girl reached out, briefly touching his fingers, but pulling back immediately.

"It's fine." Ianto reassured her.

Again very slowly, she lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against the palm of his hand, before lightly linking their fingers.

Shooting her a huge smile, Ianto softly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and before anyone knew what was happening, she had lunged forward, thrown her arms around him and was sobbing miserably into his shoulder.

"They wouldn't stop. The memories of Dall wouldn't go away. And then everything came back and I couldn't push it away. It was too much." she choked out between sobs, desperately clasping the back of Ianto's shirt. "And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to run. I was scared. And I punched you. Oh God, I punched you. I'm so sorry." she cried.

"Hush, pét, it's all right. I got you." Ianto whispered, stroking the back of her head.

"Sorry...so, _so_ sorry." she continued to whimper.

"It's fine, really. I got you. I love you." he soothed, placing feather light kisses in her hair.

They sat like that for almost five minutes, the other three men watching and relaxing visibly when she started to calm down and the sobs turned into a hiccup.

"Lun'â?" Jack asked carefully and Ianto pulled back a little.

For a moment, Ria looked positively startled, but then she held out her arms and Jack swept her right off the floor. With the slightest giggle, she closed her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck, closing her eyes and taking a huge breath. When she opened them again, she spotted John standing behind Jack and reached out one hand, pulling him closer and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"No lip gloss this time." she offered with an apologetic smile.

"Glad to have you back, baby." John grinned, kissing her forehead.

When Jack tried to set her down on the couch, however, she whimpered and held on tighter to her father.

"We just need Owen to have a look at you." he said softly, but Ria shook her head, desperately clutching to Jack. With a sigh, he walked over to the kitchen and sat down on a chair, the girl still clinging on to him. "This will have to do." he shrugged in Owen's direction.

The medic walked around him, so he was facing Ria, and crouched down. "Sweetheart, I need to have a look at your head. I won't hurt you, I promise." he smiled at her. "May I?" The girl gave a slight nod, flinching when he started inspecting the wound. "Can you get me some warm water and a cloth, please?" he asked without looking up and Ianto went to get the things without protest.

"How bad is it?" John asked, sitting on the edge of the table.

"About 10 stitches I'd say." Owen murmered absently, accepting the bowl Ianto was holding out to him and started to clean the blood on Ria's face. "And then something to eat and a good night's rest."

15 minutes later, Ria was all stitched up again, just as John emerged from the guest room with a spare set of clothes.

"Come on baby, let's get you cleaned up and into some new clothes." he smiled, holding out a hand.

Very reluctantly, she got off of Jack and quickly walked into John's arms, who had a hard time getting to the bathroom with his daughter holding on to him, refusing to let go.

"All right, really get some food _into_ her and keep the booze _away_ ftom her." Owen said, looking at Jack.

"You're going back to the hub?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I think Tosh could use a break."

"Tell her and Gwen to take the day off tomorrow. You too. If anything comes up, I'll call." Jack said with a 'this is not open for discussion' look.

"Fine. But I'll check in on her again tomorrow." Owen decided with much the same look on his face before turning around and leaving.

With a groan, Jack leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. "Ianto, what happened to her?"

"I'm not sure." the archivist sighed, placing a kiss on the top of his lover's head.

* * *

While Jack was taking a shower and John was shovelling down his third bowl of soup, Ianto watched Ria, sitting on the bench next to her father, her head on his shoulder, pushing a piece of bread around in her own bowl.

Noticing him, she looked up.

"Are you saying I'm a bad cook?" he said with a slight grin.

"I'm not that hungry."

"When was the last time you ate something?" Ianto asked, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't give him an answer, staring back down at her food, drowning the bread with her spoon.

"Eat half of it, okay?" he offered with a smile.

John stopped eating at that, looking from his daughter to Ianto and back again. Her hand tightened around the spoon and he could feel her jaw clench. Ianto, however, kept his gaze on her and his eyebrow raised, a stern but friendly expression on his face. John knew his daughter and he had noticed her behaviour when it came to eating. He had said something once and it had ended with her yelling and storming off. So that's what he expected now, but, to his surprise, she sat up straight and started eating.

"Thank you, pêt." Ianto said, leaning over the table and pressing a kiss to her head. Ria hummed happily at the contact, making puppy eyes at the man. With a grin, he briefly kissed her on the lips before walking over to the stove to get a bowl for Jack, who was standing in the door.

Baffled, John locked eyes with the immortal and they shared a brief 'What the hell was that?' look before Jack shrugged and joined them at the table.

* * *

It was barely an hour after they had finally gone to bed when Jack got up again, unable to fall asleep. Careful not to wake up an exhausted Ianto, he got out of the bed, tiptoed to the door and closed it silently behing himself once he was out in the hall. Opening the door to the guest room, he frowned when he found only John, sprawled across the bed, the blankets kicked to the floor, one leg hanging over the edge of the bed and his arm trapped in a half shed shirt.

"Idiot." the immortal grinned, closing the door again.

Yawning - he couldn't fall asleep, he didn't say he wasn't tired - he wandered into the living room, pausing in the door. Ria was sitting on the carpet in front of the couch, flicking through pictures scattered all around her. Her bloody shirt was crumpled up next to her, leaving her in the sweatpants and a bra, which gave Jack an opportunity to study the marks on her back. Were the stitches dissolving? Confused, he remembered what Owen had said about the wounds looking like acid burns. A warrior couldn't do that.

Scanning the rest of her back, his eyes came to rest on her neck. She had her hair tied up in a bun, allowing Jack to see the Hart family crest, a hippogryph with spread wings, encircled by thorn branches, inked into her skin. Beneath it was, in elegantly curved Boeshane letters, his name. Not Jack, the one he had chosen, but his birth name, given to him by his parents. Smiling to himself, he let his eyes wander to the other tattoos, all of which obviously had a very special meaning to his daughter. Down her spine ran the 13 planets and suns of the Titan Nebula, the solar system where she used to live with her grandparents. Two of the planets had been destroyed by the warrior's claws and he could only imagine how pissed she was about that. She had always been very perfectionistic when it came to 'beautify' her body. Which wasn't really surprising, given his own and John's vanity.

Moving a bit closer, he spotted the tiny red dragon behind her ear. _'She must be the only person in the universe who loves the shitty weather here in Wales.'_ he thought with a grin. Covering up a nasty looking scar on her side were symbols he couldn't read but knew very well. Gallifreyan symbols.

"Nicht durch Zorn, sondern durch Lachen tötet man." Ria said without looking up.

"Nietzsche." Jack smiled, sitting down next to her."What are you doing?"

"Couldn't sleep. Nightmares." she shrugged, handing him one of the pictures.

"You went to see Queen?" he laughed.

"Wembley 1986. Freddie is adorable."

"He remembers me?"

"Vividly so." she said with the slightest of grins, taking back the photo and putting a ragged leather book in his hands instead.

"What's this?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Thought you might want to have it."

Curious, he opened it to the first page.

_'Property of Dallin Alistair Fyy'p Hart'  
_

Smiling, he started to flip through the pages, a lump forming in his throat. He was looking at his son's diary, filled with drawings, pictures and a huge amount of his most private thoughts. Quickly shutting it, he swallowed hard, carefully putting it aside. "Did you read it?"

"Couldn't bring myself to do it." the girl sighed, continuing to sort her pictures.

For the better part of an hour, the two of them sat there in silence, occasionally chuckling or smiling at some of the photos.

"Dad...I know I fucked up. Big time." Ria suddenly whispered, looking at him with teary eyes.

"You got arrested, could have been worse." Jack grinned, trying to cheer her up. No matter how worried and pissed he might have been, he couldn't stand to see his daughter suffer like that, trapped in her memories and guilt.

"I don't mean that." she laughed, slightly hysterical.

"It's not too late to talk to me."

"It's...complicated..._hard_." the girl groaned, rubbing her forehead, hissing when she scratched over the stitches. "Can I show you instead?" she asked, grabbing the couch cushions and throwing them to the floor. Jack nodded and she pushed him down on his back, snuggling up to him and linking their fingers. "Just watch, please."

* * *

_[almost 5 years ago]_

_"Where did you go last night?" Dorian asked with a cheeky grin, catching up with her brother right outside of one of their classroms at Orion Academy. _

_"What do you mean?" Dallin frowned, looking at her, confused. _

_"Oh, come on, spill it!" she laughed, nudging his arm. "Is he cute?"_

_"I don't know what you're talking about, Ri." he groaned, growing slightly annoyed with his sister. _

_"Don't be a dick, Dall. I woke up in the middle of the night and you were gone. Is it Zuma? He's been eyeing you for months."_

_"What are you talking about? I didn't go anywhere last night."_

_"That's just cruel." she pouted. "I tell you everything!"_

_"Well, I would tell you _if_ there was something to tell." he said, raising an eyebrow at his sister. _

_"Wait, are you actually serious? You don't remember?" Ria demanded, grabbing his arm and pulling him aside. _

_"There is nothing to remember, Ri." Dall said, rolling his eyes. _

_"Hey, I'm not kidding! I woke up and you were gone and then this morning, when I got up, you were back."_

_"Are you serious?" _

_"Duh?!" _

_"Do you think I was sleepwalking?" he mused. _

_"Could be." she shrugged. _

_"Wanna have another sleepover tonight and find out?" he grinned._

_"Ehm...duh?!" she laughed._

**_xxx_**

_[that very night]_

_"Are you asleep?" _

_"Yes."_

_"Idiot."_

_"Cunt."_

_"HEY!" Ria laughed, throwing a pillow at her brother. "You have to sleep in order to sleepwalk, you know?" _

_"I can't fall asleep if you ask if I'm asleep every 2 minutes." _

_"Fine, I'll shut up." _

_An hour later Dallin was fast asleep, snoring softly and Dorian was on the edge of dozing off as well, when the door to the boy's room opened, creeking slightly. In a heartbeat, Dorian had jumped out off the bed and dived underneath it, holding her breath, wondering what the hell was going on. Maybe they had found her empty room and were looking for her? Damn it, she couldn't get another warning, Siger would be furious. _

_She could make out two pairs of legs, standing at the head of the bed, probably looking at her sleeping brother. One of the strange visitors bent down and Dallin cried out, before falling silent again. Clasping a hand over her mouth, Ria just about managed to suppress a shout. _

_"You carry him this time, he's heavy." a male voice said. _

_"Fine, let's just get this over with." another man groaned, picking Dallin up, making the bed squeek. "Open the door and be quiet." _

_"What do you think I was going to do? Run out of the room screaming?"_

_"Just go!"_

_The two men moved from the room and Ria didn't think for a second before jumping up and following them. She listened at the door and could hear their footsteps grow quieter. When she was convinced that they had turned the corner, she carefully opened the door and went after them. Peeking around the corner, she was able to see them head down to the old, unused cellars. 'What is this? Some shitty horror movie cliché?' she thought, rolling her eyes. She tiptoed down the stairs, stopping in front of a dimly lit room. Kneeling down, she peeked through the keyhole. There were several screens, dividing the room into two seperate zones. The two men seemed to be standing behind them, if the shadows were anything to go by. _

_"Any problems?" a new voice asked. _

_"No, everything went according to plan." one of the two men said. _

_"As usual." the second one added. _

_"Good." the new arrival said, obviously smiling. "Take the blood first and then we'll have a nice little chat." _

_Blood? Ria had to see this. Carefully pushing open the door, she prayed to all the Gods she didn't believe in that it wouldn't make any sound. It didn't. Relieved, she looked around for a hiding spot. In the far cornor of the room was an old shelf, just slightly higher than the screens. Without making any sound - 'Yay for academy military training!' - she climbed on top of it, pressing into the wall as far as possible. The only source of light was coming from a lamp behind the screens, so she was completely in the dark, but able to see what was going on. Dallin was strapped to what looked like some sort of surgical chair and one of the men was taking the third vial of blood from his arm. His face didn't ring any bells and neither did that of the second one. But the third man, if man was the right term to use, the one who'd been waiting down here, that one she recognised. Cyrus Jago, former time agent and one of the main causes for her fathers' imprisonment in the time loop._

_"That's enough." Jago said, waving the man away from Dallin, leaning over him, brushing the hair out of his face. _

_"What do you want with the blood anyway? Harkness said the source of his power wasn't in his blood." _

_"And you believe him?" Jago laughed. _

_"Well, we didn't find anything in the girls blood." the other man shrugged. _

_'MY blood? You stupid fucking bastards!'_

_"Just wake the boy up, I don't have all night." Jago ordered and one of his henchmen took a syringe with a blue liquid from a tablet, injecting it into Dallin's neck. _

_It took a couple of seconds for the boy to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at the three men with a moonily look on his face. _

_"Where were we..." Jago mused and started to pace around. "Ah, yes, I remember. Your father was brought back to life by the time vortex. Is that correct?" _

_"Yes." Dallin said in a weak voice, looking dangerously pale and very unaware of what was happening around him._

_"How?" _

_"I don't know." _

_"This is no use, sir." one of the henchmen groaned impatiently. "We've tried this before, with him and the girl. They don't know anything." _

_"Yeah, why don't we just ask him for the Torchwood access codes or summin'? Capture Harkness himself?"_

_"How exceedingly stupid are you?" Jago snapped and Ria actually had to suppress a giggle. "Do you think we could just walk into a high security base and snatch up one of the best agents to ever leave our ranks? He's protected, he has a team, weapons."_

_"His children aren't protected very well." one of the turds - Ria had decided to call them turds - pointed out. _

_"They would be, if the Captain hadn't put his trust into the wrong person's hands." _

_They were interrupted by a retching sound coming from Dallin._

_"Shit, he's going to choke." one of the turds panicked._

_"He's going to be fine." Jago dismissed him, hitting Dallin hard over the head, causing him to jerk up. "See?"_

_It took all of Ria's admittedly not too great amount of self-restraint not to pounce at him. How she hated having John's temper sometimes._

_Pacing around the room, Jago seemed to be deep in thought for almost 10 minutes. "This Doctor you've been telling me about. He knows what happened to Jack?" he finally continued._

_"I...I think so." Dallin stammered._

_"Where can I find him?" _

_"He can't be found."_

_"Sir, we are wasting our time here." one of the henchmen insisted._

_"I have to agree." Jargo said sourly. "Well, take him back, give him the other drug, as usual." he sighed, leaning in close to Dallin. "You have your fathers' eyes." he grinned, pressing his lips to the boy's, causing a little whimper to escape him. "Oh, come on, sweetheart. Are you not enjoying our little get-togethers?"_

_Clenching her fist so hard that her nails were digging into the palm of her hands, piercing the skin, Ria watched in shock, silent tears running down her face, unable to move._

_"Bring me the girl tomorrow." Jago ordered, running his tongue over Dallin's cheek before getting up. Pushing a few buttons on his wrist strap, he vanished in a blaze of golden light._

_Still tied to the chair, Dallin sobbed, shaking violently, which seemed to amuse the turds to no end. And that's all it took to snap Ria out of her paralized state. Jumping down from the shelf, she quickly strode across the room and towards the screens, pushing one of them aside._

_"What the-?" was all the first man managed to say before her fist connected with his face. The cracking sound that followed told her that she'd managed to break his cheekbone and a satisfied grin spread across her face. With a second blow to the head, the man crumpled down on the floor unconscious._

_"You are going to regret that!" the other guy yelled, lunging at her. With a roll of her eyes, Ria held out a hand, pressing a burning hot flame into his face. Crying out in agony, he fell to the ground, clutching his face._

_With both of then currently immobile, Ria started to free her brother._

_"Dall, it's all right, I got you." she soothed, helping him to stand up._

_"What...Ri...where...?" Dallin stuttered, still groggy from the drugs. "HOLY FUCK!" he exclaimed, when the realisation of what just happened hit him, suddenly fully aware again. "They've done this before. Not only to me. That son of a bitch touched me!"_

_"Come on, we have to get out of here and find Asher!" she urged, pulling him along._

_The guy with the burnt face groaned, trying to get up, only to get kicked back down by Dallin. "You sorry excuse for a man." he spat, picking up the tablet with the syringes and hitting him over the head with it. Hard. Very hard. "_Now_ let's go get Asher."_

**_xxx_**

_An hour later, the twins were sitting in Asher's study, holding mugs with hot tea, wrapped in blankets._

_"That is unbelievable." the headmaster muttered._

_"But you do believe us, right?" Ria asked, her voice weak and strained._

_"You saw the two men." Dall added, sounding just as desperate._

_"Of course I do." Asher smiled at them and they relaxed a little._

_"We have to call our parents immediately!" Dallin said._

_"That's not going to be possible right now, I'm afraid."_

_"What?" Ria demanded angrily._

_"Well, you see, this situation is delicate. Yes, very delicate indeed. Unbelievable." Asher sighed._

_"What the hell are you talking about? Ash, please, what's wrong with you?" Dall pleaded, looking at his headmaster and old family friend, confused._

_"You weren't supposed to find out. Not yet. I just lost a huge amount of money to Cyrus. Never make a bet with that man." he groaned, visibly annoyed._

_Sharing a horrified look, the siblings jumped up and turned to the door, where a uncomfortably familiar face was grinning at them._

_"We should talk." Jago said, strolling into the room._

_"What makes you think we're interested in listening to you?" Dallin growled, both twins glowering at the man._

_"Asher, if you'd be so kind?!" Jago said coldly, sitting down in one of the armchairs._

_"We have your grandparents under surveillance. One wrong move and they're history." the other man shrugged, raising an eyebrow at the twins. "And don't bother with that," he added to Ria, who had opened her wrist strap "we disabled them. Well, actually, we constructed a field that's...ah, I don't want to bore you with the details, but the straps don't work."_

_With a faint sigh of defeat, Dallin sat back down, followed by a reluctant Dorian._

_"What now? You're going to kill us?" Ria asked, actually managing to control her fear and even sounding a tiny bit nonchalant._

_"You could be of great use to us." Jago spoke up._

_"We bloody well won't be!" Dall spat through gritted teeth._

_"Maybe not willingly, but that doesn't really matter to me." he shrugged._

_"So you're just going to keep us here indefinitely? People will probably start to notice." Dallin laughed cynically._

_"We're going to do no such thing. You're going to go back to sleep and I believe you have a history exam tomorrow?" Asher smiled at them._

_"What?!" the twins demanded in unison._

_"Weren't your headmaster's instructions clear enough?" Jago asked mockingly._

_"You expect us to pretend that nothing happened? Are you fucking crazy?" Ria asked. "Actually, don't bother answering that, of course you are."_

_"I believe you'd be well advised to meet our demands." Asher grinned._

_"And why is that?"_

_"I can give you three very good reasons, my dear boy." the headmaster continued. "First of all, Leo and Siger."_

_"They are military men, they know how to handle themselves!"_

_"You remember the surgery Siger had a while back? We decided it couldn't hurt to leave behind a little 'present' inside his stomach. Well, when I say it couldn't hurt, I mean no one besides him and anyone in a 15 mile radius." Jago said with such an arrogant smile that Dallin had to hold his sister back in order to prevent her from lunging at the man._

_"You're bluffing!" he said, sounding less than sure of himself._

_Opening one of his desk drawers, Asher produced a file, tossing it to him. "X-rays, surgical reports, everything." _

_"Those could be fake." Ria pointed out. _

_"Are you willing to take that chance?" Jago asked, even though the answer to that was already painfully clear on their faces. "That's what I thought." he grinned. _

_Getting up from his desk, Asher picked up a device from one of the bookshelves, sitting down on the edge of his desk. "I'm not the telepath here, but let me take a guess; there are already a thousand ideas running through your heads on how to contact and warn your family. None of them will work, though." he shrugged, mockingly sticking out his lower lip in a pout. "We took the liberty to use your abilities to our advantage." he said, pressing a button on the device, causing both Dallin and Ria to cry out in pain, clasping their heads.  
_

_Sharing an amused look, the two men waited until the twins were able to focus again, before Jago continued to speak. "We don't have a name for them yet, but it looks like they're working just perfectly."  
_

_"They corrupt your telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Come on, try it!" Asher urged, looking at them expectantly.  
_

_Looking at each other, Dall and Ria tried to make a connection between their minds, but the only thing that happened was a sharp pain shooting through their heads, promptly causing the girl to throw up.  
_

_"Try to mess with them or remove them and we'll blow up your Gramps." Jago laughed, clearly satisfied with himself.  
_

_"The best feature, though," Asher continued, sounding just as smug, "is this!" he said, pointing at the screen on his desk. To any ordinary 21st century human, it would have looked like randomly coloured strings floating through each other, intertwining and disentangling over and over again. "Every single thought and emotion for us to see. I'm even able to, how do you kids say, 'fry your brains'. Which would be the second reason we urge you to cooperate. Isn't technology amazing?"  
_

_"So what you're saying is that there is no way for either of us to say or even think anything without you knowing about it immediatly?" Ria summed up, having a very hard time to fight back frustrated tears.  
_

_"Pretty much, yes." Jago agreed.  
_

_"What do you want with us?" Dall asked afraid.  
_

_"To make sure you'll be available for later use. That is the only demand we have right now." Asher smiled at them like he had just told them about the most wonderful thing in the galaxy.  
_

_"Please don't do this. Don't hurt Jack." Ria pleaded anxiously. _

_"You should be more afraid for yourselves rather than your father." Jago said, a predatory smirk on his face.  
_

_"Why? I thought you were just keeping us 'available'?"  
_

_"Yes, well, that doesn't mean that I can't have a bit of fun for the time being." the former time agent grinned. "Boys, get in here!" he shouted and the two henchmen from before entered the room, their expressions clearly showing how much they were enjoying the turning of tables. "Asher, I think you might want to leave."  
_

_Nodding, the other man strode past them without so much as glancing at the twins and almost fled the room. Slowly getting out of his chair, Jago crossed the distance between them, stopping in front of Dallin, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him up. Ria was on her feet in an instant, but the henchmen were just as fast, gripping her fiercly, dragging her away.  
_

_"This, by the way, is reason number three." Jago whispered to Dall, sneaking his hands under his shirt, lightly scratching his back. "The better you kids behave, the gentler I'll be. Probably." he grinned, before pressing his lips to the boy's.  
_

_"DON'T!" Ria cried, struggling to get free, but the two men had a score to settle with her and weren't even thinking of letting her go.  
_

_"Just watch." the taller one grinned, painfully twisting her arm, dislocating the shoulder in the process. "Watch your brother."  
_

_Unable to get free, Ria locked her gaze with Dall's, tears running down both their faces.  
_

_"We are going to have a blast!" Jago exclaimed with a laugh and easily cought Dallin's fist before it reached his face. "Naughty." he grinned. "The harder you struggle, the more I'm going to enjoy this." he all but moaned, pressing himself into the boy._

* * *

Pulling away from Jack, Ria scrambled backwards until she hit the couch, shaking violently, furiosly rubbing her face. "I can't go on." she choked out. "I don't want to remember, all I want is to forget!" she sobbed.

And Jack felt helpless. Utterly helpless. A million thoughts were racing through his head. Abused, tortured, experimented on and...no, he couldn't even bring himself to think the word. His kids. All to get to him. Guilt. He should have seen this, he would have been able to find a way. Realisation. No, he wouldn't have been. Anger, no, blind fury and the urge to break the neck of every single person involved in this. And then understanding. That's exactly what Ria had been doing. _His baby_.

Soft whimpering brought him back to reality. Ria had her legs pulled up under her chin, a vacant expression on her face, unconsciously scratching her forearms, already drawing blood.

"Lun'â..." Jack whispered, crawling over to her, closing his arms around his daughter, taking hold of her hands. "Stop, please." he soothed, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Papa..." the girl cried, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I got you. No one is going to hurt you anymore, _I promise_. I love you, _so much_." he spoke in a soft voice, stroking her cheek. Looking around the room, he spotted his coat on the floor next to the couch and protectively wrapped them both in it. He could soon feel Ria drifting off, completely exhausted and emotionally drained. And at that point he didn't hold back his own tears anymore, silently crying himself to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** What did you guys think? I hope you liked it, tell me in the comments, will you? And Lun'à is Jack's nickname for Dorian, meaning 'my moon'.


	21. Coming Back

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter, I hope you'll like it. Please leave comments and tell me what you think!

Oh and I forgot the translation in the last chapter. 'Nicht durch Zorn, sondern durch Lachen tötet man.' means 'You don't kill through anger, but through laughter.', which I think is really sweet or incredibly mean, depending on which way you look at it. Just like Ria *sniggers*

* * *

**Chapter Summary: **Some more revelations and an Alien Nightclub.

* * *

**Warnings:** a little bit of swearing (as usual, really)**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen - Coming Back**

The first thing Ianto noticed when he woke up the following day was the throbbing in his side. He slightly opened one eye to peek at his alarm clock. Great, not even 8 in the morning. Someone next to him stirred, whimpering and mumbling incomprehensible words in 51st century commonspeak. And it wasn't Jack. Jerking around, cursing in Welsh when the movement caused another wave of pain to shoot through his upper body, he found himself face to face with John. _'Nightmares seem to run in the family.'_ he thought sadly when the man started to lash out.

"John, wake up, it's fine." Ianto whispered softly, catching his hands. At the young man's touch, the Captain flinched away, a cry of fear escaping his lips_. _

"Hey, calm down. C'mere." he soothed, closing his arms around the trembling man, who struggled to get away before finally relaxing into the embrace. "That's better, I got you." Ianto smiled, running his hands up and down John's back in a comforting motion.

Slowly opening his eyes, John momentarily stared at the other man, a confused expression on his face. Then, suddenly, he flushed what Ianto thought was a kind of adorable shade of pink and burried his face in the crook of the younger man's neck. "Can we pretend that none of this ever happened?"

"What? The part about you sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night?" Ianto grinned, pulling back just enough to be able to look at him.

"I don't like sleeping alone. For obvious reasons." he shrugged sheepishly, sneaking his arms around the other man's waist.

"Wasn't Ria with you?"

"She abandoned me." the Captain sighed overdramatically, sticking his lower lip out in a pout.

"You poor thing!" Ianto laughed, disentangling himself and sitting up.

"Hey, where are you going?" John complained, grabbing his wrist.

"Toilet?"

"Don't I get a good morning kiss?"

Raising an eyebrow, Ianto looked at him with an amused expression on his face.

"Please?" John purred.

"Unbelievable, the whole lot of you." the archivist sighed, leaning down, quickly brushing his lips over the other man's before jumping up and vanishing in the enclosed bathroom.

When he emerged half an hour later, fully dressed and groomed, John was sitting on the bed, staring at the TV, looking beyond confused.

"That sponge must be the most annoying thing in the universe! And he lives in a pineapple and is friends with s squirrel living in a bubble? Seriously, I've seen a lot of weird shit in my days, but 21st century telly tops it all." John exclaimed.

Unable to help himself, Ianto burst out in laughter at the bewildered look on the face of Captain John bloody Hart of all people. "Your daughter loves the show." he grinned after he had calmed down a little.

"Of course she does." John rolled his eyes.

"How about breakfast?"

At that, John jumped up, slapped the younger man's ass and moved from the room. Rolling his eyes, Ianto turned off the TV and made the bed before following him, frowning when he entered the living room, where Ria was curled up on the floor, covered with Jack's coat. His eyes wandered to the open kitchen, where John was kneeling in front of a crying Jack, softly stroking his knees. Ianto was at their side in a heartbeat, running his hand through his lover's hair.

"What happened?" Ianto asked when Jack flung his arms around him and John just shrugged, sitting down at the table. He tried to loosen the immortal's grip on him, only causing him to hold on even tighter, a panicked look on his face. Before he had the chance to say anything, the doorbell rang. "Would you...?" he asked, looking in John's direction.

Nodding, the Captain got up to open the door.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Ianto asked, growing scared, but the other man just shook his head, unable to speak.

"I can't leave you alone for one night, can I?" Owen groaned when he walked into the kitchen, but turned serious the instant he saw just what kind of state Jack was in. "What's wrong?" he asked in a softer voice, placing a hand on the immortal's shoulder.

Pulling back from Ianto a little, Jack motioned in Ria's direction, knocking over his glass in the process.

At the sound of the glass shattering on the floor, the girl woke up with a startled cry.

"What...?" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes when she noticed all of them staring at her.

"How are you?" Jack asked hoarsely. The two of them locked eyes for a brief moment until Ria turned away.

"Fine." she said determined, making it clear that she wasn't going to talk about the previous night. Getting up, she walked to the kitchen, brushed the tears away from Jack's cheeks and placed a kiss on his forehead before taking a bottle of water from the fridge and making her way to the bathroom.

"All right, spill it!" Owen demanded as soon as she was out of earshot. "What did she show you?"

"Both of you!" John added with a meaningful look in Ianto's direction.

* * *

The four men sat around the table, each one of them in their own thoughts. Owen was nervously running his hands through his hair, while Ianto, tears stinging in his eyes, was half-heartedly scowling at John, who had destroyed the fruit bowl and two glasses in a fit of rage while he and Jack had been telling them everything. The Captain himself was absently playing with a piece of the broken tableware and Jack was tracing the pattern of the wooden table.

"That is..." Owen finally broke the silence, only to fall quiet again when he realised that he didn't actually know how to put what he wanted to say in words.

"Who are Asher and Jago?" Ianto asked.

"Asher is an old friend of my family. Or so I thought." John spat. "I even attended the guy's funeral."

"He's dead?" the archivist raised an eyebrow.

"Murdered."

"Do you think that Ria...?"

"I wouldn't blame her." John shrugged indifferently.

"What about that other guy, Jago?" Owen chipped in.

"One of the few time agents who are still out there. Or rather were, since he's lying in your cryo storage."

"So what? She went after everyone who had any connection to the agency? Some kind of revenge trip?" the doctor mused.

_"Can you blame her?"_ John yelled and Ianto quickly put a hand on his arm.

"Calm down, I'm not saying anything, mate." Owen said, holding up his hands in defense.

"What about the baby, then?" Ianto continued. "He clearly wasn't completely human."

"Assuming he is Jago's, which seems likely, given the circumstances, he would be half Quareen." Jack spoke up.

"Wait, that guy wasn't human?" Owen asked confused.

"The Quareen look fairly human, but there are some major differences." the immortal started to explain.

"They have all sorts of crazy sexy eye colours." John grinned.

"A time and a place." Jack snapped, glaring at the other Captain. "There are the eyes and the teeth, as Ianto described. They also live a lot longer, up to a couple hundred years and they are probably the race with the highest developped telekinesis skills."

"They can move stuff with their mind? Like in movies?"

"Yes, Owen, like in movies." Jack said, unable to suppress a little smile. "But it involves a lot more than simply 'moving things around'. There's psionic strength, teleportation, biological manipulation, healing, levitation, phasing, shapeshifting, vector manipulation, elemental control-"

"Force-field generation." John threw in.

"You mean Ria...?" Ianto gasped.

"We don't know for sure, but it's possible. Abilities like that can be passed down over generations and my family kind of has a reputaion of shagging every possible species." John shrugged with a smirk.

"We noticed, your father is a cat." Owen grinned.

"Do you know his name?" Jack interjected with a look in Ianto's direction, trying to prevent an argument.

"_It_ doesn't have a name and yes, _it_ is Jago's." Ria said, casually leaning against the counter.

"Well, fuck." Owen muttered.

"We're sorry, pêt." Ianto blushed.

"It's fine." she shrugged, sitting down in Jack's lap, immediately having the man's arms thrown around her middle.

"What about the baby?"

"What about it, Ianto?" Ria glared at him.

"Don't you want to get him back?"

"Why?"

"Because he's your kid?!"

"It's Jago's."

"And yours."

"Just fucking leave it, all right?" she snapped at the archivist, surprising all four men. "It's taken care of, that's all you need to know."

Sharing a look behind the girls back, Jack and John decided that this most definitely wasn't all they needed to know, but they also knew better than to push the subject at the moment.

"How about we go out today? Enjoy the day off?" Jack said softly, placing a kiss on his daughter's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Where?" she asked, actually sounding a bit excited.

"Let's have Owen check you over and then we'll decide. All right?" he smiled at her.

"Fine." Ria grumbled, following the doctor to the living room, only to turn around again, sprinting back to the kitchen and throwing her arms around Ianto, pressing a kiss to his cheek before finally joining Owen on the sofa.

* * *

An hour later, Jack, John, Ianto and Ria were sitting in a restaurant on the bay. Owen had refused the invitation, saying that watching them enjoy food just makes him wanna punch them.

"Why are people staring at us?" John asked with a mouth full of scrambled eggs.

"Because of _that_." Ianto said, rolling his eyes. "Of all the things they teach you in the 51st century, manners are not among them."

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed, a piece of bacon falling out of his mouth.

"Just proving my point." the archivist sighed and Ria grinned into her mug of hot chocolate. "And three people wearing military coats from three different centuries probably plays a part as well."

"He's mean." John pouted in Jack's direction and the immortal nodded, causing Ianto to roll his eyes again.

"Where do you wanna go after breakfast?" the youngest of the men asked, looking at Ria.

"I have to visit a friend."

Confused, Ianto looked at Jack, who shrugged, looking at John, who shrugged as well.

* * *

"I haven't been here in ages!" John grinned happily, walking up to the door.

'The Beyond' Ianto read, written on it in big black letters. "What is this place?"

"Alien night club." John exclaimed excitedly.

"Are you kidding me? And you knew about this, Jack?" the archivist asked disbelievingly.

"We sort of have an agreement. They don't cause any trouble and I let them be. Less work for us." he shrugged sheepishly.

Ignoring the men, Ria knocked on the door and a small slot opened, revealing a pair of angry eyes.

"We're closed." a deep voice barked.

"Open the door, Hans." the girl simply said, unimpressed by the rude greeting.

The slot closed and they could hear a wave of German curses.

"Hans?" Jack asked amused.

"He accidentaly landed in 1940s Germany when he first came to earth." Ria said just as the door was being opened. "They're with me." she stated, before vanishing inside the club, closely followed by John and Jack.

Ianto hesitated for a moment and squeezed inside just as the door was being closed again.

"Make up your mind, boy." grunted the same voice as before. It belonged to a creature, about 4 feet tall, green skin, an orange crest on its head and six lanky arms, sitting on a bar stool behind the door.

Mouth wide open, Ianto stared at it, unable to speak the apology as he had intended to.

"What are you looking at, kid?" it hissed.

"Nothing...sorry." Ianto stammered, quickly walking after the others who were already halfway up a spiral staircase. "What was that?" he whispered to Jack, once he had cought up with them.

"A Xantox. Extremely grumpy but incredible lovers." Jack smirked. "You should see what they can to with their tongues."

Ianto shot him a 'You did not?' look, but before the immortal had time to humour him with the details, they had reached the top of the stairs and were now standing in a long corridor.

Without hesitation, Ria walked up to the black door at the end and was about to knock when it sprung open. A tall man stepped out, his bright red eyes narrowed and glaring at the girl. His silky black hair was neatly braided, almost reaching his hips and his skin shimmered in a light shade of blue, tattoos running up his arms and a nasty scar across his left eye.

"_You!_" he spat, poking Ria with one of his long fingers, causing the girl to whimper and take a step away from him. The infuriation left his features as soon as he saw her discomfort and his face softened. "I was worried about you." he sighed, reaching up to cup her cheek. She flinched at the contact - which didn't seem to surprise him - before leaning into it, smiling contentedly. Falling down on his knees, the man pushed away her shirt, running his hand over one of her scars, before pressing a soft kiss to it. Straightening himself up, he pulled her close, capturing her mouth in a heated kiss, his hands cupping her face again. Ria moaned slightly into the kiss, placing her hands on his hips, pressing herself against the man.

And suddenly, John noticed, the room smelled like his favourite cuban cigars and vanilla. Or a glass of scotch, the Boeshane sea and Ianto post sex, if you asked Jack. Not that he would ever admit the last one, though.

Clearing his throat, Jack looked at the scene in front of him, clearly amused.

Grinning and a little flushed, Ria stepped away from the man, only to have John protectively throw his arms around her, hugging her close to his chest and shooting the alien a sinister look.

"Not how I normally meet the parents." the man grinned. "My name is Tael, welcome to my home!" he smiled warmly, opening his arms.

"Long time no see." Jack said with a raised eyebrow.

"Captain Harkness." Tael nodded, turning his gaze to Ianto, looking him up and down.

"That's Ianto, myn pêt. Condui'y tyn!" Ria warned, smiling at the archivist fondly, making him blush.

"Just looking." Tael laughed, motioning them into one of the rooms. "Sit down, please. Make yourselves comfortable." he smiled, pointing at a couple of sofas. "You came back?" he asked Ria, once they were all seated, Ianto next to Jack, his eyes wandering around the room, marveling at all the foreign artefacts and Ria next to John, who had placed a hand on her neck, still staring at Tael with a sour expression on his face.

"I need information. About the warrior." Ria said, earning herself confused looks from her companions.

"That's all?" Tael asked disappointed.

"Not now, please?" Ria groaned.

"Fine." the alien sighed. "Before you ask, the situation hasn't changed, they are all still very much in the same condition as you left them."

"Are you sure?" the girl asked, biting her lower lip.

"Yes. They won't bother you again. About Jago, is he...?"

"Dead."

"Figures."

"Do you know who sent the warrior?"

"The agency."

"How?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe a last resort in case you managed to get to them? Automatically set in motion?"

"Possible, but very unlikely." Ria mused.

"The time lock remains unbreached, there is no other way." Tael shrugged and silence fell between them.

"Seriously, what the fuck is going on and who the hell are you?" John yelled, losing his patience.

"A bit overprotective, is he?" Tael grinned at Ria, who tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a smirk of her own.

"Don't get on my nerves, blue boy!" John spat.

"Daddy, it's fine." Ria soothed, placing a kiss on his temple before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe it would be easier if we knew what was going on?" Ianto offered, looking at Jack, who nodded.

Ria swallowed hard, growing pale and shook her head.

"Love, maybe you should tell them. For tyne ign'e payx te âmee." Tael smiled at her.

"No!" she said sternly, crossing her arms.

"Don't be so stubborn!" Jack yelled, growing frustrated with his daughter's refusal to talk to them.

"Do _not_ yell at her like that!" Ianto glared at him.

"But he's right! She can't just run away for years and not expect us to have questions!" John pointed out angrily.

"I didn't run away, you fucking idiots!" Ria shouted, getting up. "Jago took me." she said, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

"Well done." Ianto glowered at the two Captains, quickly following her.

"Jago kidnapped her?" Jack asked once they were gone and Tael nodded.

"I slapped her!" John groaned, rubbing his face.

"You couldn't have known." Tael shrugged, offering them a small smile.

"How do you fit into all of this anyway?" the immortal wondered.

"She came to me, needed help tracking down some people. I tried to fix her up as best as I could, but I'm no doctor and she refused to be treated at a hospital. It took me three weeks to nurse her back to health."

"Thanks for that." Jack said, actually sounding serious.

"Why did you help her?" John demanded.

"It's how I earn a living. And I love her." the alien shrugged, causing both Jack and John's eyebrows to shoot up. "What, she didn't tell you that she has a boyfriend?" he grinned.

"How much do you know?" John asked, barely able to keep himself from punching the man in the face.

"Not all that much. Jago took her and she was with him for quite a while before she got away. She hardly talked about her time with him, but knowing Jago, it probably wasn't very pleasant." he shuddered and the other two men nodded. "I kept her informed about what was going on in that hub of yours, she missed you guys so much."

"Do I want to know how you did that?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"No." Tael grinned. "I think she visited your team. She said it was the next best thing to actually seeing you. Couldn't find anything about you, though." he added, looking at John. "Then, about three months ago, she took off again, telling me she'd be back. Haven't seen her again up until today."

"So you don't actually know anything useful?!" John smirked satisfied.

"There's one thing I can tell you."

"And what's that?"

"Where to find her baby boy."

They didn't even need to look at each other to know what the other was thinking. "We're listening." they said simultaneously, leaning forward in their seats.

* * *

Not really sure where to start looking, Ianto walked back down the stairs.

"In the boss' quarters." Hans grunted, motioning to a door covered by a red curtain.

"Thanks." he murmered, shooting the green alien a small smile.

"No problem, gorgeous." Hans winked at him.

"Not you too." Ianto groaned, quickly stepping into the room. It was dim and Ianto had to wait a moment before he could start to make out shapes. It looked like a study, containing several comfy armchairs, a sofa, two old wooden desks and even a fireplace. Peeking through a door next to a bookshelf, Ianto watched into what must have been Tael's bedroom. No, Tael's and Ria's bedroom, he corrected himself. There were several pictures of the two of them on the walls. On one of the bedside tables he spotted a framed photo of Jack and John, probably from back when they were still stuck in the time loop, each one smiling happily, Jack cradling Dallin in his lap and Ria with her arms flung around John's neck, laughing.

"Pêt, what are you doing?" he raised an eyebrow, watching Ria rummaging around in a dresser, throwing various items into a bag sitting on the bed.

"Packing."

"You can't leave!" Ianto gasped, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach at the prospect of the girl not being with him. He didn't have time to wonder, again, why he felt so strongly about her, though.

"Why the hell not?" Ria yelled, glaring at him.

"They can't lose you again-"

"They were better off without me and all my drama." she groaned, opening the closet and throwing a violin case next to her bag.

"That is _not_ true!"

"It bloody well is!"

"I can't lose you." he whispered, closing the distance between them, throwing his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Ria stiffened, but didn't try to get away. After a long moment, she relaxed and hugged him back, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "This is so much harder than I expected it to be." she laughed sadly, tears soking through Ianto's shirt.

"But you can't keep running away for ever."

"Judging by the way my parents handle things? I think I probably could." she grinned against him.

"Probably, yeah." he laughed, stroking the back of her neck with one hand and running the other up and down her back.

"I'm sorry." the girl sighed after a while, pulling back a little. "They didn't know."

"They shouldn't have pushed you to talk about it." Ianto said firmly.

"The patience of a saint."

"That's what you need around Jack." he grinned, stepping away. "What do you wanna do now?" he asked, brushing away her tears with his thumb.

"Want to do? Get pissed. Should do? Tell them. All of you." she sighed, taking his hand.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" John asked, biting his lower lip.

"Not really, no." Jack sighed.

"She'll be furious, I can guarantee you that." Tael said with a nod. "But she's going to be grateful in the end."

They quickly straightened up when the door opened and Ria walked inside with Ianto.

"What were you talking about?" she asked suspiciously, setting the bag and case down on the floor.

"What's that?" John asked, pointing at the luggage. "You can't leave again!"

"Just some things to take back to Ianto's." she smiled reassuringly.

"So, you're not staying here?" Tael pouted.

"Over my dead body!" John growled.

"Boys, calm down." Jack interjected before the situation escalated again.

"I want to tell you. All of you." Ria sighed, positioning herself between Tael's legs, who immediately started to run his hands through her hair, trying to tame the curls.

Jack had to smile at the intimacy between them. He had known Tael for years and even though his work was kinda dodgy, he was a nice enough guy and seemed to care about Ria a great deal. And the immortal prefered to have someone with his daughter who was able to take care of her and Tael could definitely do that.

"You don't have to do this right now, baby." John smiled apologetically, bringing Jack back to the room.

"I do. I want to get this over with. And if I don't do it now, I won't do it at all." she said firmly, leaning back into Tael, closing her eyes. "But I don't even know where to begin." she groaned, resting her head on his chest.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I had to break it up at some point and this seemed like the best one. Forgive me ;)

_Translations:_

Myn pêt. - My pet /sweetheart.  
Condui'y tyn. - Behave yourself.  
Tyne ign'e payx te âmee. - Your own peace of mind.


	22. Revelations

**A/N: **Thanks to all the people reading and following this, especially everyone who leaves comments. You are awesome!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Dorian explains what happened to her over the past four years.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, (mentions of) violence, abuse and rape

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen - Revelations**

They sat in silence for a good few minutes before Ria finally started to talk in tense voice. "They took so much pleasure in making us suffer. We were brought down to that cellar almost every night. They rarely did anything to me directly, apart from the occasional slap or punch, they just made me watch. Jago allowed one of the henchmen to...to have his fun with me once. I squashed his eyeballs."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, John couldn't suppress a proud smile forming on his lips.

"They punished Dallin for it. Whenever one of us did something to displease him, it was always Dall who got hurt. I talked back, he slapped him across the face. Dall tried to defend himself from a punch, he beat him unconscious. I was trying too hard to figure out a way to warn Pap and Gramps or tell you about what's going on, he...well, you know."

They did know.

"It took him a week to break me. Only _one_ week. I was so weak, it was pathetic."

"You tried to protect your brother, there is nothing weak or pathetic about that!" Ianto said firmly, but she just held up a hand.

"He was the one getting hurt and he urged me not to give up, but I couldn't do it."

"Dall would have done the same thing, baby. They knew how close you were and took advantage of that. It wasn't your fault." John tried to reassure her.

She went on, ignoring her father. "All this went on for about five weeks. We had to make up a shitload of excuses so Leo and Siger wouldn't start to suspect anything. Because Jago told us very clearly that if they found out, they would be killed. The injuries were easy to account for, you break bones all the time in military training."

Shocked, Ianto looked at Jack, who just nodded, confirming her statement.

"They knew something was wrong, but in the end we convinced them that it was just some teenage thing. And we even managed to hold our 10+ grade average." she said with a cynical laugh. "It was so utterly bizarre, going to school all day, pretending everything was fine, visiting our grandparents, helping around the house, doing homework while _that_ was going on at the same time. We finished the school year and went back to visit Jack. The night before we left, Jago took Dall to the cellar, alone. When he came back, every last bit of resistance was gone. He was empty." she said sadly, looking down at her hands. "As soon as we set foot in the hub, the stupid chips started to malfunction. We could sense each other's feelings again. It wasn't much, but it was a start and best of all, Jago didn't seem to notice anything was wrong. I was so excited, I thought maybe we could find a way out of this after all, but Dall didn't care anymore. He was just numb, I could feel it. And then, one day, I was reading in Jack's office, and the feeling suddenly stopped and I knew he was...gone."

She spoke the last word so softly that it was barely audible, her voice starting to fail her. Tael tried to pull her into a hug, but she refused, shaking him off.

"Jago contacted me when he realised Dall's signal was gone. He just laughed and told me to await further instructions. I locked myself away and waited. I just lay on my bed, doing nothing, for days. You have to understand," she smiled weakly, looking at Ianto "he was more than a brother. He was my other half. We were Spirit'in, connected in mind and soul. It happens mostly in twins or siblings, sometimes other relatives and, very rarely, with two complete strangers. I don't really know how or why and I never cared. What it means, though, is that we were always connected, it was almost like we were one collective mind with two bodies. When I lost him, it wasn't only painful for the obvious reasons, it also physically hurt. A lot. It felt like someone had ripped out half of my brain and I didn't know what to do anymore. I was so alone inside my head, Dallin had always been in there, as long as I could remember and now he was gone."

Pausing, she got up and started to pace around the room.

"Somewhere along the lines of waiting, I snapped."

"You wanted revenge." Jack stated.

"I wanted _closure_. And then a happy accident occured. Siger got sick again and had to have another surgery. They found the explosive device and were able to remove it. Mind you, they had no idea what it was and were lucky it didn't go off."

"Yeah, I remember. They thought is was some shrapnel. Plausible enough, given the amount of wars the man has fought in." John nodded.

"It happened when I was with them, shortly after Dall's death. Siger was rushed to the hospital and Leo went with him. I was about to leave and get back to Jack when the ambulance arrived, so they told me to go ahead and that they'll call. I protested, but they insisted that he would be fine. Of course, Asher was with them, being the loyal friend, and informed Jago that they had just lost their means of extortion. I had just about enough time to cut out that stupid chip and send Benedict away before Jago showed up. He took me and fled."

"Bloody fucking coward." John grumbled and Tael nodded in agreement.

"You cut a chip out of your own head?" Ianto asked, eyes wide.

"Covered the scar up with a little dragon." she smiled, turning her head to show him.

Not knowing what to say, the man just motioned her to continue.

"I was with him for a little over three years before I managed to get away. Which means no, I didn't have anything to do with Asher's death." she said, looking at her fathers knowingly. "Jago was extremely pissed when everything went to shit, so he set some of his henchmen loose on him. I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard."

"I don't." Ianto grunted, much to the other's surprise.

"Jago took me to his homeworld, Quar, and we went into hiding. He was beyond angry and I was his punching bag, figuratively and literally. But somehow, he seemed to have taken a liking to me. At first, he would just lock me up in a cell and only come down when he needed...release. But after a while he started to change, he brought me stuff he thought I would enjoy, like books and clothes. I was moved from my cell to a room with an actual bed. He started to confine in me, I guess I was the only person he felt close to. Sick as that was. One night, he broke down completely and talked to me about his plans. He and the other five remaining agents, not including Jack and John, wanted to start fresh, build another agency. Something had gone terribly wrong, though, and he cried and wept for hours and I comforted him."

"Why the hell would you do that?" John grimmaced.

"Because I'm smart. He started to trust me and gave me more freedom. Sure, he still beat and abused me, but everytime he hurt me, he felt so terrible afterwards that he did everything he could to apologise and make it up to me. He actually loved me, in some weird, twisted kind of way. After about three years with him I got pregnant."

At that, all four men winced.

"Don't. I was surprised that it hadn't happened sooner. He was overjoyed when he found out and that's when he started to get sloppy. I was moved again, from my room to the master bedroom, I was allowed to walk freely within the house and he brought a trainee doctor, Sam, in to check on me. Sam was the son of one of the other agents and they thought he believed in 'the cause'. He didn't. I begged him to get that fucking _thing_ out of me, but he couldn't do it. I think Jago would have killed me, despite his claims that they needed me. But he helped me to plan my escape. I played along with Jago's little family fantasy and was rewarded with his trust. To a certain degree, that is. He only had two guards staying with me when he went out and one day, one of them left early for some reason. I guess even the bad guys have a social life. Sam was with me that day as well and we saw our chance. We staged an attack, I had him by the throat and he was screaming until the guard stormed into the room. Taking that idiot out was easy enough. The hard part was knocking Sam out, but it had to look like he wasn't involved. I didn't want him to get hurt. Anyway, I grabbed some money out of Jago's office and ran."

"That's my girl." Jack smiled warmly.

"He still had my and Dall's wrist straps, so I couldn't leave the planet without him knowing. I lived in the sewers for about two months, together with other outcasts. One of them told me about Kryll."

At the mention of that name, both Jack and John snorted in disgust.

"He worked for one of the other agents, had been ever since the height of the agency, and was always looking for mercenaries. So I went to find him."

"All this while you were pregnant?" Ianto asked with a pained expression on his face.

"I planned to get rid of it once I escaped but...well, I don't know, it wasn't the baby's fault, you know?!" she shrugged uncomfortably. "I decided to give it away. And if I hadn't known better, I would have thought that I wasn't knocked up at all. Quareen pregnancy lasts over a year and the babies are tiny when they're born. I only gained about eight kilos, I actually looked healthier than before."

"And you don't want to-"

"No, Yan, I don't!" she said firmly.

Jack and John shared a guilty look and Tael kept his face low.

"The chances were 50/50 that Kryll would recognise me." the girl continued. "The other agents knew about me, but they had never seen me, Jago never allowed anyone to visit. I was 'his', that's what he always said. Luckily, Kryll didn't realise who I was and got me a job at his employer's mansion. The official description was odd-job man, but it was obvious that he had hired me for...personal use."

With a growl, John kicked the coffee table, causing it to fall over.

"Would you please not destroy my furniture?" Tael grunted.

"Fuck you!" the Captain growled, jumping up. "I have the fucking right to be upset!"

"John, please." Ianto said softly, but the other man was having none of it.

"You can shove that please up your ass, eye-candy!"

"Daddy-"

"Why aren't you more upset by this?" he glared at Jack.

"You think this leaves me cold?" the immortal asked angrily, getting up as well. "What kind of heartless bastard do you think I am?"

"Oh, I don't know. The kind who walks out on his freakin' family?!"

"_Daddy!_"

"Don't go there, John! You know I had to do it."

"Yeah, sure, you _had_ to do it. For the greater good. Because we didn't matter. You didn't even give us a chance!"

"I was scared, all right?"

"No, it's not all right!"

"ENOUGH ALEADY!" Ianto yelled, startling all of them. "You, sit the fuck down!" he barked in John's direction. "Now!" he added, when the Captain just stood there. "And you!" he turned to face Jack. "I'd be pissed too if I were John and the two of you are going to work through your issues _later_. Right now, your daughter is trying to talk to you about an extremely traumatic time of her life. For once, it's not about you, do you think your egos can handle that? Because I'm sure Ria would be glad if she could finish without the two of you acting like idiots." Shooting them both another angry glare, he faced the girl, who was staring at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "Go on." he smiled.

"Love, sit down." Tael spoke up when Ria didn't move, baffled by Ianto's outburst. He lightly tugged her hand and she plopped down between his legs again. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, closing his arms around her and pressing a kiss to the back of her head when she continued to stare at the archivist.

"Have I told you how awesome you are lately?" she finally grinned, causing both Ianto and Tael to burst out laughing. Jack and John glared at each other, but remained silent.

"You're welcome." Ianto winked at her.

"As I was saying before," she continued "Kryll hired me. But it wasn't all that bad, really!" she said, trying to comfort John. "He never laid a hand on me and everything we did was consensual."

"Consensual my ass." John murmured. They could all see that this was only half the truth.

"What I got that way was a lot of information. The remaining agents were planning some kind of get-together to discuss God knows what. Kryll told me about everything, the man was as dumb as a sack of rice." she grinned, once again ignoring her father. "This was the only chance I was going to get, all of them together in one house, totally unaware of me and my knowledge, it was almost too good to be true. So I took the opportunity."

"You killed them?" Jack asked, trying to hide the pain in his voice, but failing miserably.

"No, I did not kill them."

"_What?!_" the two Captains and even Ianto exclaimed in unison.

"I couldn't. It would have made me just as bad as them. And believe me, I would have loved to break the neck of every single on of them, especially after I found that Jago wasn't among them. Apparently he had gone completely insane after I ran away."

"What did you do?" Jack demanded, somehow even more scared now.

"I took away everything from them." Ria said with a wicked smile. "And I mean everything. Every single memory, emotion and last drop of knowledge."

"How?" Ianto gasped.

"Entering their minds by force and destroying everything I could find."

"I thought you couldn't do that?"

"To begin with not, no. But I had three years filled with pain to practice my abilities. And the hatred made me strong. They took my brother from me, they threatened my family and they abused, tortured and raped me."

At that word, Tael's grip on the girl tightened and his eyes glimmered with rage.

"I was going to pay them back. And I did."

"But what if they start to remember?" Ianto wondered.

"That's not possible. I stole the memories, I took them away. They can't retrieve them, even if I was going to show them, they wouldn't remember. They are just shells, completely empty."

Silence fell between the five of them, Ria looking down at her hands and the Captains and Ianto unsure about what to say.

"Look," the girl began after a couple of minutes "I don't expect you to forgive me. I know what I did was beyond cruel and-"

"Oh, baby." John sighed, walking over to his daughter, pulling her up and into a hug. "I'm not angry. If I had gotten my hands on them first, oh, the things I would have done to them. What you did, that's heaven compared to what I'd have done."

"Second that." Jack said, closing his arms around them both, pressing a kiss into the girl's hair.

Sticking her head out between her fathers, Ria nervously looked at Ianto, who had his fists clenched, trembling with rage.

_[Yanni, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Please, don't be upset. I'm sorry. I would never hurt anyone else like that, I promise.]_

The archivist's head snapped up at the girl's voice in his head. Slowly, he got up and the two Captain's automatically stepped aside, sharing a concerned look.

"Yan..." Ria pleaded, a scared expression on her face.

"You don't even want to know what _I_ would have done to them, pêt." he smiled, crushing her to his chest, burying his face in her hair. "Why would think that I was upset with you?" he whispered.

"Because what I did was wrong." she choked out, closing her eyes and relaxing into the embrace.

"No, what _they_ did was wrong. No one is blaming you, I promise!" he soothed, running a hand up and down her back, the other one on the back of her head.

"I love you, Yan." Ria smiled against his shoulder, sneaking her arms around him, holding him close.

They stood like that, holding and comforting each other, until Tael cleared his throat, placing five cups on the coffee table John had actually picked up again.

"You don't have to go on right now." Ianto smiled at Ria, pulling back a little.

"It's fine, I want to." she decided, pressing a quick kiss to the man's lips before picking up a black cup, rejoining the alien on the couch, shooting him a smile and pecking him on the lips before once again sitting down between his legs.

"Thanks." Jack nodded at Tael, taking a cup himself, sitting down on the couch opposite of them, followed by Ianto and John. "After that...that's when you met The Doctor, right?" he asked his daughter in a tone that somehow didn't fail to make Ianto just a tiny bit jealous.

"Yes, exactly." the girl nodded. "Once I had taken out the agents.."

"How exactly did you do that anyway?" John raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean, I get the whole infiltrating their minds thing, but those were five highly trained agents, they surely didn't just sit still and let you wipe their memories one by one?"

"It was painfully easy, actually. I sent Kryll away with the guards, told him about some non-existing security breach. Then I sealed the dining hall with one of my fields, created five smaller fields inside the big one, one around each agent, and waited until they passed out from the lack of oxygen. Once you know how, it's idiotically simple to make the fields impermeable, even to gases. When they were unconscious, I took my turn to wipe their minds clean, one by one."

"That is really impressive - in some weird, science fiction kind of way." Ianto threw in, causing the girl to smirk.

"Your abilities weren't that strong when you left." Jack frowned.

"As I said before, the anger and pain made me stronger. And I think something happened when Dall died. Somehow, his absence caused the force of my abilities to grow. Massively so. But it's kinda hard to control. It's kind of like an Incredible Hulk thingy, the angrier I get, the stronger I get, but the harder it is to keep control. The warrior being the latest example of that."

"That's the understatement of the year, you almost died!" John exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't." Ria shrugged. "Anyway, I was totally worn out after that stuff with the agents. I grabbed their wrist straps and teleported myself aboard the TARDIS - and no, I won't tell you how, The Doctor has strictly forbidden me to do so - where I had barely enough time to introduce myself before passing out. The Doctor and the TARDIS nursed me back to health and in turn I told him my story. He was furious at me for what I'd done to the agents, he said I should have given them a choice to surrender. Which is complete bullshit, if you ask me. They never would have given up."

"That's how he works." Jack smiled fondly at the memory of his old friend.

"Luckily for me, he was so much angrier at them for what they'd done to me, all of us, that he agreed to help me. Which was why I contacted him in the first place. Together we went to get the agents and brought them somewhere they can be useful parts of society again. We also tracked down all the relatives and friends of the agents to make sure none of them would continue where the others had left off. Most of them didn't even know anything about the whole thing and the few that did weren't directly involved and didn't want to have anything to do with it. The Doctor offered me to stay with him for a while, until I was better. But I refused and came back here to Cardiff."

"Why didn't that bastard call me when you showed up on his doorstep?" Jack growled frustrated.

"He couldn't. The straps messed up and I met a later regeneration of him, one you hadn't encountered yet. Timelines and all. Lucky me." Ria grinned but stopped when the immortal shot her an icy glare.

"Why didn't you come back to us?" John asked sadly, looking hurt and making the girl wince.

"Because there was still one thing I had to do and I knew that you wouldn't let me." she admitted, running her fingers along one of the tattoos on Tael's arm which she had pulled into her lap.

"Jago?" Jack guessed and she nodded.

"I came here, to 'The Beyond' and asked Tael for help. It's what he does, after all. And believe me, it was hard to convince _him_ not to contact you."

"Yeah, I bet it was really hard." John grunted, indicating at the intimacy between them, earning himself a slap from Ianto.

"That is not what happened!" the alien spoke up angrily. "What kind of man do you think I am? A broken, abused and traumatized girl turns up here and you think the first thing I do is jump into bed with her?"

"Yes!"

"You bastard!" Tael growled, jumping up.

"Daddy, cut it out!" Ria glared at her father. "And you, sit back down." she said to Tael, who did so reluctantly. "He had his own personal reasons for helping me bring down Jago." she continued, cupping his face and stroking the scar across his eye with her thumb. "I asked him to track him down, because I couldn't do it myself. The man had gone completely crazy, he was determined to get me and his son back. But he was scared shitless after what I'd done to the other agents, so he fled. Again. While Tael worked on finding him - and my little Benny - I visited your team." she smiled at Jack. "They mean so much to you and comforting them was the next best thing to actually seeing you again."

"You should have come to me, I would have helped you with Jago!"

"No, dad. You couldn't have done anything. And I had to do this on my own. Tael soon found a lead and I went to investigate. I ran into a group of mercenaries Jago had hired and barely got away. That's how I lost half my lung, by the way."

"And still she refused to see a real doctor." the alien said, looking at her sternly. "Hans fixed her up as best as he could, but it was a close call. I sat with her for the better part of a month while she coughed up blood and screamed for hours at the pain. She refused to take any painkillers, since it would have caused the baby to react violently. We would have had to cut him out and he would have died. The Quareen are annoying embryos, let me tell you that. As long as you leave them grow in peace, you barely notice them. They're almost indestructable, you can smoke, drink and eat whatever you want, they don't care. But as soon as you start using medication, they snap and try to eat their way out, killing both the mother and themselves."

"It wasn't that bad." Ria tried with an innocent grin, but Tael just raised an eyebrow at her. "Fine, it was. But I made it! And ever since that incident, I can't seem to get rid of him." she smirked, leaning into the alien, who smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her, I guess." Jack smiled, looking at John warningly.

"It was a challange." Tael grinned.

"Oi!" Ria laughed, punching his arm.

"Do you have to act like that in front of me?" John snapped.

Rolling her eyes, Ria got up and joined her father on the other couch, snuggling close to him. "He is a good guy, trust me." she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"But-"

"Really, Daddy." she said firmly, turning his head so he was forced to look her in the eyes.

"All right, fine." the Captain sighed after a moment, closing his arms around his daughter.

"Good." Ria smiled, nuzzling into John. "After that encounter with Jago's men, we couldn't get a hold of him anymore. I followed a few other leads, but nothing came of it. I was near the end of my pregnancy and I decided to take a more direct approach."

"I would just like to say that I was _so_ not on bord with this!" Tael chipped in, earning himself an annoyed eye-roll from Ria.

"It was impossible to find Jago, so I let him find me."

"Oh hell..." John groaned and Ianto grimaced, looking at Jack who was rubbing his forehead.

"You let that psycho capture you again?" John asked, even though they all knew the answer already.

"It was the only way!" the girl insisted. "And as long as I was pregnant with his son, he wasn't going to kill me. I travelled around a bit, asking all the wrong people all the wrong questions and it didn't take long until he turned up. I acted surprised and put up a fight, but in the end I let him take me. We picked up Sam and travelled from one dubious planet to the next. Sam was so angry with me, the plan never was to for me to come back, even less still being pregnant. But he agreed to help me again, because he wanted Jago gone just as much as I did."

"Why?" Ianto asked curiosly.

"Because he was the one who had pulled Sam's father into that whole mess and taken Sam away from his family, twice, without asking, to tend to me. I never understood why he didn't hate me for that, actually. So Sam kept me informed on what was going on with Jago, since he didn't really put too much trust into me anymore after that whole running away stunt. I think I might actually have broken the man, he was so vulnerable and fragile, it was kind of scary. One night I woke up and he was sitting on the edge of my bed, stroking my hair, crying. Another time he stormed into my room, drunk out of his mind, and yelled at me for almost an hour, demanding that I tell him why I didn't love him. He promised to take care of me, to be good to me and be there for me and the baby..."

"Why didn't you just end him?" John asked confused.

"He was Quareen, remember? I was no match for him, even in his deranged state. And I wanted to get the baby out of the way before I did anything."

The two Captain's shared a hopeful look when they noticed how Ria had started to at least refer to 'the baby' instead of just 'it'.

"So I waited as long as possible and when Jago went out to get some supplies, Sam got the baby out. But I guess Ianto told you about that?"

"He did." Jack confirmed. "And someone came and took him away?"

"One of Tael's bodyguards." Ria nodded. "I bonded one of the straps I had stolen from the agents to my arm." she explained, showing them a fading scar on her left wrist, causing John to wince at the memory of how Gray had done the exact same thing to him. "Jago disabled it, but he couldn't remove it without cutting off my arm, only I had the code to do it, which he didn't know. And I just hoped he wanted me intact so he wouldn't actually resort to cutting of any limbs."

"Perfect plan." John jibed.

"Shut up, dad. Anyway, he disabled it, but as long as it was bonded to me, Vaas, the guy who took the baby, was able to track me. I removed and destroyed the strap before Sam began with the procedure. Vaas lost the signal, which was his cue to come and get the baby. He brought him to some orphanage on Ramos. And he's probably been adopted by someone who actually wants him and can take care of him." she quickly added. "He was kind enough to fix me up a little before leaving and I went to face Jago. Sam had stolen his keys and I could retrieve my weapons and my and Dall's wrist straps. I also got back the straps from the other agents, minus the one I had given to Vaas, the one The Doctor had kept and the one I had destroyed. I gave one to Sam, but the idiot refused to leave me. At least he agreed to hide until everything was over and I promised to get him after everything was over." She paused, suddenly unable to go on, fighting back tears.

The others understood, smiling sadly. John hugged her a little tighter, pressing a kiss to her head.

"I waited in Jago's room for him to return." Ria continued after she had composed herself. "He had left Sam and me alone, he never even suspected that Sam would betray him. He thought the man resented me for killing his father, when he was actually glad that everything was over. Jago came back with the two mercenaries he had left and was furious when he realised his son was gone. He ordered his men to go and find Sam and...he shot him, in front of me, right in the head." she choked out before finally breaking out in tears, burying her face in John's lap.

"It wasn't your fault, pêt!" Ianto tried to comfort her, kneeling down beside her and stroking her back.

"I should have forced him to leave." she sobbed.

"He was a grown man, he made his decision." John agreed with the archivist, running his finger through her hair.

"I couldn't protect him. Jago's abilities had always been more powerful than mine. He pinned me to the wall without even touching me, forcing me to watch as Sam begged for his life before putting a bullet in his head. Sam...he...he had a husband and..." with an angry growl, she pushed away the men around her, jumped up and started pacing around the room again, absently rubbing her wrists.

Jack had noticed her doing that when she was stressed or upset and it pained him because he knew exactly why. He often had to resist the urge himself when he started to remember the time the Master had held him prisoner, chained up like an animal.

"This is...fuck, I don't know." Ria groaned, banging her head against the wall. "Don't touch me!" she snapped without looking up when both John and Ianto took a step towards her. "I promised to get him out." she said weakly.

"I know it hurts, lun'à." Jack whispered. He didn't need to say anything more, they all knew exactly what he meant. If there was one person who knew what it meant to lose people, not to be able to save them, it was the immortal Captain.

"I was so angry, I burned Jago's men." Ria began again, still facing the wall. "They weren't agents, they were hired muscle, innocent. I burned them alive and I didn't even care."

"No mercenary is innocent, believe me." Tael said bitterly.

Confused, Ianto looked at Jack, who shook his head.

"Yeah." the girl sighed, sounding less than convinced. "Jago, exceptional as he was, came out of it with barely a scratch. But he was unfocused long enough for me to get inside his head and weaken him. It was hell, I barely managed to stay conscious. I honestly don't remember how I then got the upper hand, everything after that is kind of a blur. The next thing I remember is standing over him and him insulting Dall, before I cut of his head. And, well, you saw that, so..." she trailed off, finally turning around, pale as a sheet and trembling violently. "I never told anyone about all of this...I didn't...I didn't want to remember. This sucks!" she managed to say before slumping to the ground, trembling and shivering.

"You did good, baby." John smiled, being at her side in an instant.

"Here." Tael said softly, stroking her cheek, holding out a glass of scotch to her.

"But how did she get inside the hub?" Ianto whispered to Jack.

"Automated process in case of imminent death." Ria grinned, taking a sip, but spilling most of it, unable to steady her shaking hands.

"The straps, of course!" Jack exclaimed, slapping a hand to his head.

"Just to make this clear," came a voice from the door " I am _not_ cleaning that up!"

"Halt die Schnauze, Hans." Ria groaned with a laugh.

"C'mere." Ianto smiled, crushing the girl to his chest, joined by Jack, who cought them both in a huge bear hug. "You too." the archivist grinned at John.

"Don't have to tell me that twice." the younger Captain smirked.

Smiling, Tael took Hans to the side, discussing whatever business the green alien had come to talk about, while the other men took turns hugging and kissing Ria, much to the girl's protest.

"What happens now?" John asked, cupping his daughter's face.

"What do you mean?"

"Baby, the things you went through, we can't just leave them be. You have to deal with-"

"NO!" Ria yelled, stepping away. "You can tell all of this to the rest of the team, I don't give a shit. But I am not going to talk about it again. I'm going to bury it somewhere deep and never, ever think about it again." she stated in a tone that left now doubt to how serious she was.

Jack was about to agree with John, when both Captain's Vortex Manipulators started to beep.

"I hate that sound." Ianto groaned, while Tael and Hans looked at them confused.

"I love that sound!" Ria smirked, quickly snatching Jack's coat from the couch, producing her and Dall's own straps from one of the pockets. "HA!" she exclaimed happily, putting them on. "How I missed you guys."

"You idiot!" John barked at the other Captain, who shrugged sheepishly.

"We don't have time for that now, that beeping never indicates anything good. What does it say?" Ianto interjected before they could get into another argument.

"_Come and play!_" the girl frowned, looking at her fathers.

"Well, who's up for a game?" John grinned, already leaving the room.

Rolling his eyes, Ianto pressed one last kiss to Ria's forehead before running after him.

"Will you be back?" Tael asked, trying to sound confident, but failing miserably.

"Of course she will! She wouldn't miss her welcome back party! At 10." Hans winked at the girl, but Tael didn't seem to sure.

"I'll be there, amôu'r." Ria assured him, brushing her lips over his. "Love you." she smiled before running after the others.

"You look like she never told you that before." Jack laughed, looking at the blue alien, who was staring after her, mouth wide open.

"She never has."

"In that case; congratulations!" the immortal grinned, hugging him briefly and clapping Hans on the shoulder. "Now, to make sure the kids don't get into too much trouble." he winked at them, sprinting out into the hall.

* * *

**A/N: **What do you think? I hope you liked it! Please leave comments and tell me! Things will get fluffy for a while before everything starts to go to hell. Again. So stay tuned.

Translations for this chapter: Halt die Schnauze, Hans. - Shut up, Hans. (in German)


	23. Aftermath

**A/N: **As usual, a huge thank you to everyone who has been reading, favouriting and commenting on this, you are awesome! Now, a bit of fluff and angst in this chapter, I hope you like it. And please, leave comments and tell me what you thought. I'd love to hear your thoughts, complaints, ideas and whatnot, so don't be shy!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** A trap for the team. And a family dinner. And a party.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing (surprise!), smut and sexy times

* * *

**Chapter Twenty - Aftermath**

"This time, you are _staying in the car_ with Ianto, do you understand me?" Jack asked sternly, shooting his daughter a warning glance.

"Of course, Daddy." Ria smiled as innocently as possible.

"I'm serious!" the immortal warned, turning to Ianto. "Keep an eye on her."

"Yes, sir!" the younger man saluted, causing John to snort with laughter and Jack to roll his eyes in annoyance.

"You do realise that you are running into a trap, don't you?" Ria raised an eyebrow at her father.

"A trap consisting of one weevil? I think we'll manage. Ready?" the immortal asked in John's direction, who nodded, placing a comm. device in his ear. "All right, let's go." he said, clapping his hands and sprinting off towards the building site, followed by the other Captain.

"This doesn't feel right." the girl murmured, tapping away on one of the tablets. "AHA! I knew it!" she exclaimed after a few moments, jumping out of the car, opening the trunk.

"What are you doing?" Ianto sighed, already knowing that he couldn't stop her anyway.

"Getting my weapons. I don't like to face weevils unarmed." she grinned, retrieving her bow and arrows.

"I think the two of them will be able to handle one weevil."

"There are five."

"_What_?" Ianto hissed, checking the signals. She was right. "Jack?" he asked, tapping his earpiece.

_"Not a good time, Ianto."_

"There are-"

_"Two of them, we noticed."_

"Five, actually."

Silence. _"A little help?!"_

"On my way."

_"Tell Ria to wait in the car."_

"As if." the girl smirked, already running off.

Sighing, Ianto went after her. "Why didn't we see them before?" he mused once he had caught up with her.

"Someone tempered with the signal, obviously."

"Who?"

"No idea." Ria shrugged, stopping in front of a crane. "Go find Jack and John, I'll find a nice spot for myself." she ordered, already starting to climb.

Ianto wanted to protest, but on second thought, she'd probably be a lot safer up on that thing than surrounded by weevils.

"Jack, where are you?"

_"Middle of the site, tiny bit surrounded."_

"Shit." Ianto groaned, quickly running through an unfinished bathroom and lounge, out into what would soon be a communal garden, where the two Captains were standing, back to back, five weevils stalking around them.

_"Keep calm, boys."_ came Ria's grinning voice over the comm.

"You are not in the car, I gather?" Jack sighed, shooting Ianto a 'Thank you for nothing!' look.

_"Someone has to keep saving your sorry asses."_

"We have things under control!" John barked.

_"Of course you do."_

"Where are you?"

_"Look up."_

Following her instructions, the men lifted their heads, staring at the girl, standing on top of the crane, her bow ready, aiming down at one of the creatures.

"Don't kill them, we'll manage!" Jack ordered, running every possible escape plan through his head.

Without answering, Ria took her shot, an arrow whirring through the air, landing next to John's foot.

"Missed." he smirked.

_"Nope."_ came the cheeky response, just as the head of the arrow opened with a light 'click' and the weevils fell to the ground, clutching their heads.

"What...?" Ianto asked with wide eyes.

_"Ultrasonic sound waves. And now for the big finish."_ the girl laughed, another arrow flying towards the men, splitting the first one in half.

"Showoff." John teased, unable to hide the hint of admiration in his voice.

Again, the head clicked open and the area around them and the weevils filled with smoke. When it cleared after half a minute, four of the creatures were lying perfectly still, appearing heavily sedated.

_"Well, get the last one, would you?"_

With a groan, Jack ran after the one weevil trying to escape. "You know, sometimes I'm glad that you don't listen to me." he grinned.

_"What would you do without me?"_ Ria sighed dramatically.

* * *

"Your order will be right out, sorry for the wait." the barista apologised.

"No hurry." Ria smiled at her. Getting coffee was a lot better than carrying around sleeping weevils, trying to figure out how to fit them all into the SUV and listening to John complain about it.

"Dori!" came a happy squeal and a little girl crashed into her, throwing her arms around her legs.

"Slow down, monkey!" Ria laughed, picking her up and settling her on her hip, trying to hide the pain the movement caused.

"Mica! What are you-" Rhiannon breathed, running after her daughter. "Oh, it's you!" she exclaimed relieved when she saw who her kid had charged at. "She loved the books you bought for her, didn't you, sweetheart?"

"Yes!" Mica smiled. "Mummy has been reading them to me every night!"

"Couldn't get her to sleep any other way." the woman laughed.

"I'm glad you're enjoying them." Ria smiled at the girl, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Why is this taking so long?" came Jack's voice from the entrance of the mall. He had his arm thrown around John's waist, grinning like an idiot. _'Hunting always makes them overexcited.'_ Ria thought with a grin, watching Jack spin John around, before pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Naughty Jackie!" John grinned teasingly, pinching the older man's ass.

"And who's that?" the immortal asked when they had reached them at the coffee stand, flashing Rhiannon one of his trademark smiles.

"You are Jack?" she asked, her eyes narrowed and her voice tense.

"And I get the feeling I've done something bad?!"

"Dad, this is Rhiannon, Ianto's sister." Ria spoke up, trying hard not to laugh at the situation.

"I...ehm...will wait in the car." John grinned, turning on his heels.

"Yeah, you better!" Rhi called after him before facing Jack. "And you! What was that?"

"We were just-" Jack began, only to be immediately interrupted again.

"Aren't you supposed to be with my little brother?"

Desperate not to make the situation worse, Jack looked at his daughter, who just grinned and shrugged. "This is not what it loo-"

"Don't give me that!" Rhi snapped.

"No, really, I'm-"

"I know what I saw!" the enraged woman shouted, causing other shoppers to stare.

"Rhi, it's fine, really." Ria chipped in, deciding it was time to save her father. Again. "That was John, my other father and a good friend of Jack and Ianto's."

"Then why did he-"

"We are all extremely close." the girl smiled. "They were just teasing each other, it meant nothing, believe me."

Glaring at Jack for a moment longer, Rhiannon finally relaxed a little, but still looked at him suspiciously. "You should come to dinner." she stated. "How about today?"

"We would love to." Ria said quickly. "Wouldn't we, dad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the immortal.

"Y-yes, we would...?" Jack stammered uncomfortably.

"Around 6?"

"Perfect, Rhi. We're looking forward to it." Ria smiled, pressing a kiss to Mica's forehead and setting her down.

"Don't be late!" she glared in Jack's direction before picking up her bags and daughter, making her way to the parking garage.

"Ianto is going to put us on decaf." the immortal sighed, making Ria wince and stick out her tongue in disgust.

* * *

"You did _what_?" Ianto snapped when they were all sitting in the SUV on their way back to the hub.

"What I did was just damage control." Ria pointed out, quickly ducking out of the way when the archivist threw a pack of tissues back at her.

"And I didn't do anything at all!" John threw in.

"Neither did I!" Jack pouted, earning himself a slap from his lover.

"What are you angry about anyway? We made out this morning and you didn't complain about that." John grinned.

"Oh?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's exaggerating." the archivist groaned, rubbing his face.

"A three-way thing? I'm so digging this." Ria smirked.

"Second that!"

"Shut it, John!" Jack barked.

"What? Scared to you can't satisfy all his needs on your own?" the younger Captain teased, causing an 'Oh snap!' from his daughter.

"Just because you can't hold a man doesn't mean everyone else is equally unable to do so." the immortal bit back, steering the car into one of the Torchwood parking spaces.

"Do you know how much I hate all of you right now?" Ianto hissed, jumped out of the car and stormed off to the hub.

"Can we still get some coffee?" Jack purred, taking a step back when the younger man shot him a deadly glare. "What are you doing?" he yelled after his daughter, who was following the angry man.

"Damage control." she winked before vanishing through the secret door.

"Have fun at dinner tonight." John grinned.

"Shut up and help me with the weevils."

* * *

"That one!" Ria exclaimed, her head inside Jack's closet, throwing a simple white v-neck shirt over her shoulder.

"Why can't I wear my usual things?" the immortal groaned, trying on what felt like the tenth outfit.

"Because today you set a new world record in making a bad first impression."

"It wasn't that bad!" he defended himself, catching the pair of black jeans just before they hit him in the face.

"Yes, it was." Ria said, turning around, her hands on her hips, head tilted to the side. "And we have to fix it!"

"I don't see how clothes are going to do that."

"Well, I don't want you going in there all soldier and duty. For once, just act like a normal boyfriend and-"

"I hate that word."

"It's what you are to Ianto, so get used to it!" she said firmly, handing him his holster.

Sighing, the immortal fastened his gun and took the black vest his daughter was holding out to him.

"Looking good." the girl grinned, doing up the buttons, frowning when there was no cheeky response. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." Jack smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You are nervous!" she laughed, squealing in delight when her father actually blushed a little. "You are going to do fine." she smiled, running her hands through his hair in a feeble attempt to style it.

"I doubt that. Ianto's still angry with me and his sister already hates me."

"Just be your usual charming and dazzling self." Ria winked, but Jack kept his gaze on his feet, playing with his watch. "Look at me, dad." she sighed, cupping his face, forcing him to look at her. "It is going to be fine, I promise. Here..." she said, reaching into her pocket, producing a simple leather bracelet with one light blue bead, fastening it around his wrist.

"What's that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, running a finger along the leather.

"Alurian pearl. The Aluri give them to their families and loved ones for protection and guidance."

"It's pretty."

"It matches your eyes." she grinned.

"Yeah." Jack laughed, pulling his daughter close and into a hug, burying his face in her hair, closing his eyes. "An amîr tyn, lun'à." he whispered, pressing a kiss to her head.

"I know." the girl smiled, stepping back. "Does Yan know how you feel about him?"

"Of course he does!"

"Have you actually told him?"

"No..." he admitted sheepishly.

"What are you scared about?" she asked, stepping into the small bathroom enclosed to Jack's bunker, giving her father the privacy she knew he needed to talk about his feelings.

"The usual." he groaned, flopping down on his bed.

"Losing him."

"Yes."

"Well, boo hoo! That's life, dad. You are going to outlive him, no matter what. You knew that before you made things official."

Jack winced at her harsh words, knowing they were the truth. "I hate it that he works for Torchwood, he could die any day. Just like that and he's gone forever." he sighed, snapping his fingers.

"Then stop wasting time and tell the man how you feel!" the girl said, coming back into the small room. "How do I look?" she asked, straightening her short black dress and closing the chain of her amulet around her neck.

"Beautiful." Jack smiled, jumping up and whirling her around, making her giggle, before placing a brief and soft kiss on her lips.

"Ready?"

"As much as I'll ever be."

"Let's go get Ianto." she grinned, throwing him his coat and pulling on a woollen trench coat of her own.

* * *

"You look perfect, Yanni." Ria sighed, falling back on the man's bed. "Besides, it's _your_ family, what's the big deal?"

"That's the point. It's my _family_. And I'm introducing them to my _boyfriend_." he said tensely, absently biting his lower lip. "What about this one?" he asked, holding out a shirt in front of him.

"Too formal, it's just dinner. Let me..." she trailed off, getting up and pulling open the other door of his closet. "Perfect!" she smiled after a moment, carefully placing a pair of black jeans and a tight-fitting dark red shirt on the dresser.

"I didn't even know that I owned clothes this tight." he complained, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Your wardrobe was lacking some sexy, I had to do something about that." Ria grinned. "And it'll match Jack's outfit."

"Nothing ever matches his World War II look." the man sighed. "Not that I'm complaining, though." he added with a grin.

"Just get changed, you know how he gets if we let him wait."

"Yeah, I'll hurry." he laughed, stepping into the bathroom. When he emerged ten minutes later, Ria was already on the phone with Jack, rolling her eyes at the archivist.

"We'll be right out, dad. Of course, doesn't he always?" she smirked, looking Ianto up and down before ending the call. "He asked if you're looking gorgeous."

Blushing slightly, he turned around to face the mirror, sceptically running a hand down his stomach.

"You are way too modest." Ria smiled, hugging him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder. "But there's something missing!" she suddenly exclaimed, opening her purse, taking out a leather bracelet with a blood red bead on it. "Alurian pearl." she started to explain. "They are for protection an guidance." she smiled, sneaking her hands around his body, fastening it around his wrist before resting her head on his shoulder again.

"Thanks." he smiled at her fondly, leaning back into the girl, placing a hand over hers.

"You are very welcome, pêt." she smiled back, turning him around to be able to press a kiss to his lips. "Now come on, my phone is ringing again and I bet I know who it is." she grinned, picking up the man's leather jacket and pulling him out of the apartment.

"Finally!" Jack said annoyed when the two of them slipped into the car. "Took you long enough to-" he began but promptly lost his voice when he properly looked at Ianto.

Equally flabbergasted, the archivist stared at the Captain, mouth hanging open.

"I call it bad boy chic." Ria grinned. "For the love of...dad, kiss him already!"

Blinking a few times, Jack leaned over, placing a hand on the back of his lover's neck, pulling him into a kiss. "Hey there, gorgeous." he smiled before placing a second kiss on his lips.

"Looking pretty good yourself." Ianto said softly, caressing the immortal's cheek with his thumb, resting his forehead against the other man's.

"Aww!" the girl grinned, fluttering her eyelashes. "Now drive, we're running late!"

* * *

At exactly 5:57 PM, Ianto, Jack and Ria were standing in front of Rhiannon's house.

"Someone should knock or something." the girl pointed out, standing behind the two men.

"Yeah, probably." Ianto said, but didn't move.

"Seriously, guys?" Ria groaned, squeezing in front of them and ringing the bell.

Trembling slightly, Jack put an arm around Ianto's waist, pulling him closer. They shared a nervous look just as the door flew open.

"Get in here!" Rhiannon exclaimed happily, hugging Ria, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Good to see you, Rhi." Ianto smiled, stepping inside, Jack still close at his side.

"So, you have officially gone bender?" Johnny grinned, walking out of the living room, earning himself a slap from his wife. "What?" he asked, rubbing his head. "Didn't expect someone like you, though." he stated, looking Jack up and down.

"Perfect." Ianto groaned, blushing.

"Captain Jack Harkness, it's a pleasure to finally meet Ianto's family." Jack said, one of his trademark smiles on his lips. "This is my daughter, Ria." he added and the girl held out her hand to the man, who promptly kissed it, causing both Ianto and Rhiannon to roll their eyes.

"If you're done being charming, get them something to drink, will you?" Rhi sighed, ushering her husband back into the living room, motioning the others to follow.

"Beer?" Johnny asked back over his shoulder.

"Sure." Jack shrugged and Ianto nodded.

"And for you, precious?" he winked at Ria, making her grin.

"Would you cut it out already?" Rhiannon scolded half-heartedly.

"Beer is fine, thank you." the girl smiled and Johnny vanished into the kitchen.

"Now, I want to know everything!" Rhiannon stated, sitting down in an armchair.

"Where are the kids?" Ianto asked.

"Oh no, you're not getting out of this one! They're with the neighbours. Spill it!"

Sharing a worried look, Jack and Ianto sat down on the couch, followed by a smirking Ria.

* * *

"Jack, would you mind joining me in the kitchen for a moment?" Rhiannon asked after dinner.

The immortal looked back at Ianto, who was arguing with Johnny and Ria about which part of the 'Nightmare On Elm Street' series was the best and why Freddy was a much better villain than Jason Voorhees. "Not at all." he smiled, following her into the other room.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier today." Ianto's sister began, dipping a glass into the filled sink. "You seem like a nice guy and all, but I worry about my brother."

Without hesitating, Jack picked up a towel and took the now clean glass from Rhiannon, drying it off.

"You don't have to-" she started, but he just held up a hand, smiling. "If you insist." she grinned, continuing with the washing up. "I don't know how much of himself he actually shows you, but knowing him it's not very much. It's just...he's been hurt before."

"I have no intention of doing that." Jack said honestly.

"Most people don't, but it still happens."

They continued in silence until Rhi spoke up again.

"Are you serious about my brother, Jack?" she asked, pausing and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Very much."

"Do you love him?"

"I do." Jack said, admitting it to anyone, including himself, for the first time.

"Why?"

"There are so many reasons." the immortal sighed. "He is the one person besides my daughter who keeps me going when everything looks dark. He takes me for who I am, despite all my faults. He takes care of me when I fail to do so myself. He comforts me, he is kind and loving, even when I don't deserve it. He loves Ria just as much as I do."

At that, they both turned their heads to watch the girl, an expression of complete contentment on her face, sitting on the floor in front of the couch between Ianto's legs, her head resting on one of his knees, while the man softly ran a hand through her hair, looking equally at peace with the world.

"He is everything to me. I wouldn't know what to do without him."

"That's good enough for me." Rhiannon smiled. "Make him happy."

"I'll try my best." Jack smiled broadly, surprising the woman by placing a kiss on her cheek before returning to the living room.

Rhiannon couldn't help a smile of her own forming on her lips when she watched him sit down beside her brother, sneaking a hand around his waist, pulling him a little closer. That smile got even wider when Ianto briefly closed his eyes, leaning into the touch and the Captain placed a quick kiss on his temple, making the younger man hum happily.

* * *

"I am knackered!" Ianto yawned, climbing into the passanger seat of the SUV.

"It's because of the food. Your sister is an amazing cook." Ria said, making herself comfortable in the backseat.

"You barely ate anything." Jack pointed out, instantly regretting his words when he saw the disappointed look on his daughter's face.

"I ate like half a plate full." the girl mumbled, pulling her jacket tighter around herself.

"You did fine." Ianto smiled back at her. "Both of you did, actually." he added, placing a hand on Jack's knee, moving in for a kiss the other man was only too happy to give him. "Home?" he asked softly, nudging Jack's nose with his.

"Not just yet." Ria interrupted, causing Ianto to raise an eyebrow at her. "We can't miss my party!" she grinned.

"Party?"

"Hans has decided a welcome home celebration was in order." Ria explained.

"Do we have to?" Jack grimaced.

"I could just go by myself..." the girl shrugged, holding up one of her wrist straps.

"Fine." the immortal sighed, looking at Ianto.

"Oh, I'm definitely coming along!" the younger man grinned, much to Ria's delight.

* * *

Ria took them right to the front of the line of people waiting to get into the club, much to some guests annoyance, which didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

"The benefits of being the owner's girlfriend." she smirked.

"How does no one notice this amount of non-humans?" Ianto wondered, staring at the dozens of aliens, seemingly from every corner of the universe.

"Perception filter around the whole side street." Jack stated like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"And the general ignorance of the people of Cardiff." Ria added with a grin.

"Was sagt es über dich, dass ich tatsächlich überrascht bin dich zu sehen?" Hans laughed once they had reached the door.

"A little more faith would be appreciated." the girl grinned, placing a kiss on the little alien's head.

"Get in." Hans smiled at her and the three of them stepped inside, Ria leading them up the staircase, past the room they'd been in previously, which was now filled with happily chattering people, and into a huge hall behind the black door. There was a small stage where a band was currently playing their own version of Queen's 'Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy'. They made their way through the crowd, the two men not failing to notice how the girl cringed every time someone brushed against her. She led them into a private booth, where Tael was sitting, absently tiping on his phone. Grinning, she tiptoed behind him while Jack and Ianto shared an amused look.

"Hello handsome." the girl whispered into his ear, resting her head on his shoulder, one hand sneaking under his shirt, softly stroking his chest.

The man's face lit up instantly and he jumped up, pulling her close, his hands resting on her hips. "You came."

"Told you I would." Ria smiled.

"I love you too, by the way." he smiled back before capturing her mouth in a tender kiss. "Just one thing, though." he said, stepping back and looking her up and down. "How can you walk in those things?" he grinned, pointing at her heels.

"I taught her." John smirked, appearing besides them, a topless blowfish in tow.

"You?" Ianto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't question my fabulosity!"

"That's not even a real word." Jack pointed out.

"And who's that?" Ria frowned, looking at the blowfish.

"Fynn." the alien said, holding out his hand.

"Whatever." she shrugged.

"Ignore her, she never likes my boytoys." John grinned, sticking his tongue out at his daughter, flopping down in a seat, pulling the confused alien into his lap.

"Boytoy, very flattering." Jack laughed, sitting down on the opposite side of the table with Ianto, who was rolling his eyes at the younger Captain's choice of words.

"All right, I have to say hello to some people. Please don't break anything, or anyone, while I'm gone." Ria warned with a grin, pecking Tael on the lips before vanishing in the crowd.

"Drink anyone?" Tael smirked, waving over the bartender.

* * *

"What am I drinking?" Ianto asked, holding his glass up into the light, staring at the bubbly green liquid.

"Kiwi is the only ingredient you'd know." Ria smiled, caressing the man's head which was resting against her chest.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Do I even want to know about the rest?"

"Probably not."

"I'm going to be _so_ hung over tomorrow." he laughed, taking another sip.

"Actually, no." the girl grinned mysteriously, nursing her beer, watching Jack and Tael, heads close together, deep in conversation. That couldn't be good. She turned her head and looked up at the stage where the band had just finished a song.

"Boys and girls, tonight I have a very special treat for you." the singer, a pale, dark-haired woman began. "I heard a rumour that a certain someone decided to grace us with their presence after disappearing into thin air for over three months."

"Oh no..." Ria groaned, hiding her face in Ianto's hair.

"Don't act shy, honey." the singer scolded with a grin, having spotted her. "Get up here and sing something!"

Before the girl had the chance to decline, two members of the band had snatched her right out of her seat, ushering her to the stage, much to Jack's amusement.

"I hate you, Allore." Ria sighed, nevertheless taking the microphone from her. "It's fortunate that I'm gorgeous, that way no one cares if I screw this up." she winked at the audience, earning herself cheerful laughter and whistling. Leaning over to the guy at the piano, she whispered something and he nodded. "Let's get cosy." she smirked, shooting Jack a meaningful look just as the music began.

_[This is for you, Yan. He wants to say it, he really does. And he will, eventually.]_ she smiled at the archivist, who smiled back at her words in his head. Fixing her eyes back on Jack, she began to sing.

_"I could stay awake just to hear you breathing _  
_Watch you smile while you are sleeping _  
_While you're far away and dreaming _  
_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender _  
_I could stay lost in this moment forever _  
_Well, every moment spent with you _  
_Is a moment I treasure"_

Jack knew exactly what his daughter was up to and couldn't help himself but smile too when he looked at Ianto, beautiful as always. "Care for a dance?" he asked, taking the younger man's hand, pulling him up. Blushing slightly, Ianto nodded and let the immortal lead him to the other dancing couples. Placing one hand on the archivists hip and the other on the small of his back, Jack moved in close, their bodies pressed together. Unsure what to do with his own hands, Ianto copied the his lover, resting his head on the Captain's chest, closing his eyes. Mouthing a 'Thank you!' to his daughter, Jack began to slowly move them across the dance floor.

_"I don't wanna close my eyes _  
_I don't wanna fall asleep _  
_'Cause I'd miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing _  
_'Cause even when I dream of you _  
_The sweetest dream would never do _  
_I'd still miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing"_

Opening his eyes again, Ianto was surprised to find Jack staring down at him, his eyes sparkling, a dreamy look on his face. When he noticed the younger man looking at him, an impossibly huge smile spread across Jack's lips and he leaned in close, his mouth next to Ianto's ear.

_"Lying close to you _  
_Feeling your heart beating _  
_And I'm wondering what you're dreaming _  
_Wondering if it's me you're seeing _  
_Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together _  
_And I just wanna stay with you _  
_In this moment forever, forever and ever"_

Ianto shuddered when Jack's breath tickled his ear and could feel the older man chuckling against him. Moving his hand lower, Jack managed to sneak it under his lover's shirt, caressing his back. Unable to help himself, a soft moan escaped Ianto's lips and he pressed himself into the older man.

_"I don't wanna close my eyes _  
_I don't wanna fall asleep _  
_'Cause I'd miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing _  
_'Cause even when I dream of you _  
_The sweetest dream would never do _  
_I'd still miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing"_

His own arousal growing at the sounds Ianto was making, Jack began to place soft kisses along his neck, softly nibbling on his ear.

_"I don't wanna miss one smile _  
_I don't wanna miss one kiss _  
_I just wanna be with you _  
_Right here with you, just like this _  
_I just wanna hold you close _  
_Feel your heart so close to mine _  
_And just stay here in this moment _  
_For all the rest of time"_

"For all the rest of time." Jack repeated in a whisper before capturing Ianto's mouth in a kiss, swiping his tongue over his lips. With another moan, Ianto moved both his hands to the immortal's backside, squeezing it through the jeans. "Kiwi." Jack grinned, breaking the kiss to lick his own lips. Grinning, Ianto closed the distance between them again, melting into the kiss.

_"Don't wanna close my eyes _  
_Don't wanna fall asleep _  
_'Cause I'd miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing _  
_'Cause even when I dream of you _  
_The sweetest dream would never do _  
_'Cause I'd still miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing"_

Removing his hands from Ianto's body, Jack cupped his face, his tongue exploring every spot of _his_ Welshman's mouth. Feeling a bulge forming in the older man's pants, Ianto moved his hips against his, causing Jack to moan into the kiss. Grinning, the immortal pulled back, a predatory grin spreading across his face before demanding another, much more heated kiss.

"_I don't wanna close my eyes _  
_I don't wanna fall asleep _  
_'Cause I'd miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing _  
_'Cause even when I dream of you _  
_The sweetest dream would never do _  
_I'd still miss you, baby _  
_And I don't wanna miss a thing _  
_Don't wanna close my eyes _  
_Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah _  
_I don't wanna miss a thing _  
_I don't wanna miss a thing"_

Neither of the two men cared that the song was over and that they were snogging in the middle of a crowd, now dancing to some random pop song, until someone bumped into them, finally bringing them back to the here and now.

"Come on." Jack said, almost pushing Ianto out of the room and down the staircase.

"In a hurry?" Hans grinned at them, but they vanished into a corridor without sparing him a glance.

They reached what must have been their destination, because Ianto found himself pressed against a door, Jack's lips on his again, one of the immortal's hands under his shirt, running up and down his stomach, the other one trying to unlock the door. When he finally heard the click, Jack lifted Ianto up, the younger man immediately closing his legs around his waist, and carried him inside, kicking the door shut behind them.

Laying his lover down on the bed, Jack straddled him, quickly removing his vest, holster and shirt before helping Ianto out of his shirt. Running his hands up and down the younger man's sides, the immortal placed a sweet, lingering kiss on his lips. "You are beautiful." he smiled, moving down Ianto's body, leaving a trail of kisses until he reached his trousers, easily opening them and sneaking a hand inside.

"Stop teasing me." Ianto complained when Jack began to rub him through the fabric of his underwear.

With a soft laugh, Jack removed the rest of the archivists clothing, brushing his lips over his hipbone, softly urging him to turn onto his stomach.

Ianto complied, closing his eyes and could soon feel Jack's lips on his back, the immortal's now exposed arousal pressed against his backside.

Reaching an arm around his lover, the Captain pulled him up on all fours, stroking his back. Looking for his coat on the floor, he grabbed a bottle of lube out of it, mentally patting himself on the back for packing it before leaving. He eagerly prepared himself and the younger man, positioned himself and grabbed Ianto's hips, slowly pressing into him, moaning with pleasure at the tightness around him. "C'mere..." he breathed, taking the archivists shoulders, pulling him up and flush against himself, closing his arms around him.

Resting his head on Jack's shoulder, Ianto closed his eyes, reaching behind himself, grabbing the man's hips and moving against him.

Closing one hand around the younger man's hardness, Jack began to thrust into him and stroke him in a steady rhythm. Bringing his other hand up to his face, he turned his head to be able to press their lips together. He increased his pace, kissing his way down over Ianto's jaw to his neck, sucking softly.

"Jack..." Ianto whispered into the kiss, knowing he wasn't going to last long.

"Together." Jack smiled, biting his shoulder, picking up the pace again. With a cry, Ianto threw back his head, searching for the Captain's mouth, pressing a sloppy kiss to it. Feeling his lover tighten around him, a warm stickiness running over his hand, Jack was thrown over the edge as well, letting himself fall back, pulling Ianto on top of him.

Throwing one leg over the immortal, Ianto snuggled close to him, lazily running a hand up and down his chest.

"Yan..." Jack sighed happily, running a hand through his hair, placing light kisses on his eyes, nose and finally lips, staying there with no intention to move anytime soon.

"Jack?" Ianto broke the comfortable silence after a while.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you have a room here?"

"Ria slipped me the key when we arrived."

"Your daughter is helping you to get laid? That's weird, even for us." Ianto grinned.

"I think it's convenient." Jack shrugged, nibbling on the other man's lower lip.

"True." he laughed, granting the immortal access to his mouth.

"You are perfect." the Captain whispered, nuzzling his head into the crook of his neck while reaching for a blanket, loosely pulling it over them. He was just about to doze off when Ianto jerked upright, throwing him off. "What the hell?" he pouted.

"Sorry." the younger man said sheepishly.

"What's up?" Jack frowned concerned.

"There's something wrong with Ria." Ianto stated, determined and confused all the same.

* * *

Stepping out of the bathroom, Ria looked at herself in the mirror on the closet door. Sighing frustrated, she opened it, pulling on a pair of Tael's boxers and taking a tank top before closing the door again.

"Those look pretty vicious."

"Hell!" the girl exclaimed shocked, quickly slipping into the shirt. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry." Tael smiled, taking a step towards her, causing her to take a step back. "Show me."

"It's not that bad. Really."

"I've heard that before." the alien raised an eyebrow at her. "Please, love?"

"Whatever." Ria groaned, flopping down on the bed, burying her face in the pillows.

Tael followed, sitting on the edge of the bed, carefully lifting her shirt. "Shit." he hissed at the sight of the warrior's cuts.

"They are not healing properly."

"Why?"

"We don't know."

Leaning down, he placed a kiss between her shoulder blades before pulling the shirt down again. "I'm glad you're back." he whispered, joining her on the bed.

"I'm glad to be back." the girl smiled, snuggling up to him. "Shouldn't you be up in the club?"

"They'll manage without me." the alien shrugged, running a hand through her hair.

"Good." she grinned, straddling him.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she raised an eyebrow, leaning down to brush her lips over his.

"You don't have to-" he began, but was silenced with a deep kiss, Ria's hands finding their way under his shirt, trying to pull it off. With a sigh, he lifted his upper body, slipping out of it.

Smiling satisfied, Ria began to place kisses along his neck and jaw, running her fingers over his chest, scratching lightly.

"Dorian..." he tried again, but the girl pressed into him, capturing his mouth in another kiss. "Damn it." he moaned against her lips, grabbing her hips in an attempt to pull her even closer, immediately feeling bad when she flinched.

Realising that he had noticed the movement, Ria nudged his nose with her own, smiling at him when he opened his eyes before attaching her mouth to his neck.

Tael was torn. His brain told him to slow down, but his groin and Ria definitely wanted to go on with this. The decision about what to do was taken from him, though, when the girl suddenly jumped away from him and pulled her legs under her chin, trembling violently. Looking down at himself, he quickly pulled a pillow in front of his growing erection, the worry clearly visible on his face. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry-"

"Don't!" Ria snapped, tears running down her face.

"Hey, it's fine." he soothed, reaching out to stroke her face.

"No, it's not!" she yelled, slapping his hand away. "Stop saying that!"

"It's not your fault-"

"Stop it!" she glared at him.

"Honey, please. I don't need this, it's fine. We don't have to rush anything. We'll do whatever _you_ want whenever _you_ are ready."

"I am ready!" she insisted, moving in for another kiss, but he placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping her.

"You're clearly not."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!"

"I'm not." the man sighed. "Tell me, who did you see just now?"

Ria didn't answer.

"Tell me!"

"Jago, for fuck's sake!" she shouted, kicking away a pillow.

"You'll get there, I promise. You just need more time." he smiled, trying to take her hand.

"I'm sick and tired of waiting." she growled, yanking her own hand away. "This is my body and..." she trailed off, furiously rubbing her wrists.

"Considering what you've been through-"

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare pity me!" the girl yelled at him, getting up.

"What do you want from me? What am I supposed to do here? You have to tell me, love." Tael pleaded desperately.

"You can leave me the fuck alone, that's what you can do!" Ria snapped, picking up her bag and storming out of the room.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, watching the other man jump up, quickly pulling on his pants.

"She's upset, angry, hurt-"

"How do you know that?"

"I-" Ianto began just as the door flew open.

"Get your stuff, we're going." Ria barked, turned around and stormed into another room across the hall.

"What the fuck?" came John's sleepy voice and they could hear the girl throwing his clothes at him.

"Home, now!" she snapped at him.

"Hey, hold on there." Jack, who had managed to dress and run after her, said, grabbing her arm. "What's going on?"

"Just do what the fuck I told you to do!" she yelled, her eyes still red, her whole body shaking with anger and frustration. "I'm waiting in the car." she grunted, turning around and bumping into Tael.

"I'm sorry, love. Please don't-" the alien begged.

"Shut the hell up and get out of my face!" Ria choked out, pushing him aside, another wave of tears getting the better of her.

"Wait up, pêt." Ianto said, running out of the room and after her.

"What the hell did you do to her?" John hissed at Tael, standing in the door of his own room. "Oh no, you didn't!" he cried when he realised the man was only wearing his pants, his hair sticking out in all directions, his face all flushed.

"It's not how you think-" he tried to defend himself when John's fist connected with his jaw, sending him flying to the ground.

"That's my baby girl!" John yelled, his eyes glowering at the alien, Jack's arms around him being the only thing keeping him from snapping the blue boy's neck.

"John, stop it!" Jack ordered, in full Captain mode now. "Look at me!" he said sternly, grabbing the other man's face, forcing him to look at him. "Go check on our daughter!"

"But he-"

"_Now!_"

With a furious growl, John yanked himself free, storming out of the club without so much as looking at the alien again.

"Jack, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...she...I..." Tael tried to explain, rubbing his face.

"What happened?" the immortal sighed, offering him his hand.

"It was all my fault, I shouldn't have let her go that far. _Shit!_" he groaned, running both hands through his hair.

"Hey..." Jack smiled at him, placing a hand on the side of his face. "What happened?" he asked again.

"Jago happened." Tael said weakly, tears stinging in his own eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jack."

"Shit." Jack muttered, pulling the distraught man into a hug.

* * *

**A/N: **The song Ria sang was, of course, "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith. Please leave comments, they always make my day.

_Translations for this chapter: _

An amîr tyn, lun'à. - I love you, my moon.  
Was sagt es über dich, dass ich tatsächlich überrascht bin dich zu sehen? - What does it say about you that I'm actually surprised to see you?


	24. Interlude IV - The Other Side

**Chapter Summary:** The first look at the team's enemy.

* * *

**Warnings:** (mentions of) violenece and torture, gore, death

* * *

**Interlude IV - The Other Side**

"Sire." the cloaked figure spoke with great respect and a considerable amount of fear, kneeling down in front of the throne.

"Stand." came a dangerous voice from the man sitting on said throne, not quite visible in the semi-darkness of the great hall.

"Gratitude, Sire."

"You bring results?"

"Yes, Sire!" the woman said quickly, removing her hood. "It's her."

"Are you sure?"

"We are, Sire."

"Olivander and Graham were sure as well."

Swallowing hard, the woman looked at the two bodies hanging from the ceiling of the hall, their mouths and eyes sewn shut.

"Don't worry, dear, they don't need them anymore." the man grinned madly, tipping the nearest corpse with his cane, making it swing back and forth.

The woman was unable to suppress a wince at the sight of her former lover, mutilated like that. She remembered only to well how excited he and Olivander had been upon their return a couple of weeks earlier, thinking they had finally found the girl. But their lead turned out to be wrong and they payed the price for it. She woke up covered in sweat almost every night, dreaming about the two of them being held down while the Sire took the pleasure of personally performing the procedure. _"What do you need eyes for, if you can't see the truth? What do you need mouths for, if you only speak lies?"_ he had asked, ignoring their cries of pain and pleads for mercy. Afterwards, the whole group had been summoned to the great hall in order to watch them being hanged up by their feet, naked and no longer able to cry. What followed were hours of torture, the Sire abgrily yelling at them, whipping them until their bodies were covered in bleeding wounds, forcing every single one of his recruits to watch. _"Failure is not acceptable."_ he had finally told them upon their dismissal, letting the two of them hang there to die and rot.

"_Nova!_"

"Apologies, Sire." Nova whispered, lowering her head.

"It's quite all right, dear." the man said with a toenail curling smile, giving her the feeling that everything was far from all right.

"Thank you, Sire." she said, bowing her head in awe before producing a tiny device from the inside of her cloak. "May I show you, Sire?"

"Go on."

She pushed a series of buttons and a hologram appeared. "We sent the warrior, as by your instructions." she began, pressing another button. A scene played before them, showing the warrior, waiting in the warehouse. It didn't take long until the Torchwood team arrived and the creature began its attack.

"Stop!" the man ordered and Nova quickly froze the picture.

"What..is there a problem, Sire?" she asked, scared that she had somehow displeased her master.

With a groan, the man got up from his seat, slowly walking over the the woman, his eyes never leaving the people in the hologram. "Captain Jonathan Tiberius Hart."

"Yes, Sire." the woman choked out. "He seems to be with Captain Harkness and their daughter."

"That is just splendid, my dear." he laughed, his eyes glistening dangerously. "Continue."

They watched the rest of the footage without further comment from the man, apart from a bearly audible intake of breath when Ria entered the picture.

"Well done, Nova." the man said without any real emotion, returning to his seat.

"There is more, Sire."

"Oh?"

"We needed to know how technologically advanced they are. We lured them to a building site filled with some local creatures and sent them a wrong signal about the number of life forms. At first they didn't seem to notice anything was amiss, but _she_ figured it out."

Without warning, Nova was pulled into the air and before she even had the chance to cry out in fear, she was ripped apart and scattered across the floor.

"Thank you, my dear." the man smirked, catching a piece of flesh straight out of the air and taking a bite while leaning back on his throne, closing his eyes.


	25. Repairs

**A/N: **Sorry to all the Europeans for uploading this so late, but I was sleeping most of the day in order to stay awake during the Academy Awards (which start at about 2 am over here).

Anyway, read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Just a normal day - normal for Torchwood standards, that is.

* * *

**Warnings:** a lot of swearing, (mentions of) violence, abuse and rape

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One - Repairs**

"I can't do it." John sighed, letting himself fall back on the sofa.

"We are terrible at this." Jack agreed, joining him.

"How does Ianto do it?"

"No clue."

The ride back to the archivist's place had been exhausting. Ria kept staring out of the car window, angry tears running down her face and neither Jack nor John had the slightest idea of what to say or do. Jack tried talking to her, which had ended with the girl shouting profanities in at least four languages at him. John tried to comfort her with a hug, earning himself a slap and a speech about how she didn't need 'his fucking pity'. Ianto, on the other hand, had simply acted like nothing was wrong, chatting with her about their planned movie night the coming weekend. He was the only one of the three men who got out of the car without being yelled at.

"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I'm actually jealous of him." John groaned frustrated.

"Me too." Jack admitted, pulling the other man close, pressing a kiss to his head. They continued to sit like that, each one in his own thoughts, until Ianto came into the living room, collapsing in an armchair.

"She's asleep." he informed the Captains.

"Thank you." the immortal smiled relieved.

"What exactly happened?"

Snorting, John moved away from Jack, his jaw clenched.

"Don't start again!" the immortal warned. "From what I could get out of Tael, Ria made some advances, he tried to stop her but eventually gave in and when things got too serious, she panicked and got angry."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what happened." John grunted.

"Oh come on, be reasonable." Ianto said, rolling his eyes. "The man adores her, he wouldn't try to do anything she isn't comfortable with."

"You don't even know him!"

"But I do." Jack interjected. "And Ianto is right. He wouldn't do that. Besides, he was feeling miserable about it."

"All right, I get what happened, but why did she run out on him like that? I mean, I would understand it if she was scared or confused, but she just seemed furious." the archivist wondered.

"Tael said this wasn't the first time something like this had happened."

"Great, so he's been trying to shag my baby before." John said cynically.

"Do you remember that time she hurt her arm?" Jack asked, ignoring his statement.

"Of course I do!" John snapped.

"And do you remember how she almost trashed the physiotherapist's office when the recovery didn't go as fast as she wanted it to?"

"I was scared to go near her for weeks."

"Exactly. The thing that infuriates her the most-"

"Is when she doesn't have control over her own body." John finished, understanding dawning on his face.

"Or her mind." Jack nodded.

"This must be hell for her." Ianto sighed.

"That's why we have to get her back on medication." Jack stated determined.

"Good luck with that." John laughed bitterly.

"Medication?" the archivist raised an eyebrow at the other two men.

"Bipolar disorder, courtesy of my great-grandfather. Runs in the family." the younger Captain explained. "It's not just a bad temper, you see." he added with a grin.

"Don't think that this excuses half of the shit you do!" Ianto grinned back.

"Worth a try. Anyway, she stopped taking the meds when she was, what, about 12? Said they make her head fuzzy. Try making her do it now. And please, do so when I'm not around."

"But we have to do _something_!" the immortal insisted. "And not just about this, about everything. We can't let her deal on her own."

"I agree." Ianto said, getting up. "Right now, I suggest getting some sleep. We can catch about four hours before we have to go back to work."

"Why do I have to get up early? I don't even officially work there." John complained.

"Because your daughter wants to come along to see Benedict and you are _so_ not staying here on your own." the archivist said sternly. "Jack, you coming?" he asked over his shoulder, already walking out of the room.

Sticking his tongue out at the other Captain, Jack quickly followed Ianto to the bedroom.

* * *

"John, what the hell?" Jack complained, still half asleep, when the other man flopped down on Ianto's bed beside him.

"The sofa is uncomfortable." John shrugged, working his way under the covers.

"I honestly don't give a shit about that. Get out!" the immortal barked.

"Jack, please..."

Finally opening both eyes, Jack properly looked at the other Captain. "Nightmares?" he asked and John nodded. "Fine." he sighed, lifting up his arm for him.

"Thanks." John whispered, moving closer, resting his head on Jack's chest.

"Whatever." Jack sighed, softly running his hand up and down his back.

"Would the both of you _shut up_?" Ianto groaned, pulling a pillow over his head.

* * *

"Yan?"

"C'mere..." he said, lifting the blanket without opening his eyes.

Relieved, Ria climbed into the bed, snuggling up to the man, who immediately closed his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Stretching, Ria walked into the kitchen where the men were already sitting around the table, all of them in different states of waking up. While Ianto was humming softly, enjoying a plate of scrambled eggs, Jack still seemed half asleep, his head resting on one hand, eyes not fully open yet. And John was actually snoring, lying on the bench, using his jacket as a pillow.

"Move." the girl grunted, pushing his legs away.

"Hate you..." John mumbled, managing to sit up.

"Screw you." Ria yawned, plopping down next to him.

"And you think _I_ am not a morning person." Jack grinned at Ianto.

"I'll cut you some slack next time." the archivist laughed before turning to the girl. "What do you wanna eat?"

"I'm not hu-" she began, changing her mind at the look on Ianto's face. "Cereal." she sighed.

"You always yell at me when I do that." Jack pouted at Ianto a couple minutes later, watching his daughter pick out all the marshmallows and throw the rest of the cereal back into the carton.

"The benefits of being one step shy of an eating disorder." Ria stated flatly.

Sharing a knowing look, Jack and John decided that this was going to be a long day.

* * *

"No offense, but what is she doing here?" Gwen asked, looking at Ria. "What? Jack said team meeting, I was just wondering." she added, when Ianto shot her an angry look.

"I can be wherever the fuck I want to be!" the girl snapped, glaring at her.

"Look, I didn't mean to-"

"Why don't you shut the hell up for once?"

"Are you going to let her talk to me like that?" Gwen gasped, staring at Jack with wide eyes.

"Sure, run to the Captain for help." Ria teased, causing both John and Owen to laugh. "What are you laughing about, idiots?" she barked.

"Get out of the wrong side of bed, did you?" the doctor smirked.

"At least I am able to sleep. And eat, drink, breathe-"

"Come on, baby, that's enough." John tried to calm her down. "That's low, even for our standards."

"Says the man with the crush on his only friend's boyfriend." the girl said with an evil grin.

"Dorian, stop it!" Jack warned, only causing her to grow angrier.

"Or what, dad? You gonna ground me or something?"

"Outside, now!" Ianto ordered before Jack had the chance to say anything. "Move." he added sternly when she didn't get up.

"Why?" Ria asked provocatively, crossing her arms.

"_Now!_" the archivist repeated in a tone that gave everyone in the room a chill, holding the door of the conference room open for her, waiting.

"Fuck this." she grunted, pushing her chair to the ground and storming out, followed by Ianto.

The rest of the team watched, not daring to say anything, when he pulled the girl around, talking insistently to her in a low voice only she could hear, his hands on her shoulders. With a frustrated groan, she yanked away his hands, shoving him, which only caused him to grab her again, a little bit more forcibly this time, looking her straight in the eyes while he continued talking. When he finished, he kept looking at her expectantly until she nodded, her gaze on the ground. Satisfied, he cupped her face, whispering something that actually made her smile, before pulling her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead. They came back into the room together, both sitting down in their respective chairs again as if nothing had happened.

"Sorry." Ria murmured, picking Benedict up from the floor, sitting him in her lap and caressing his belly while Ianto shot the others a 'just go with it' look.

"All right." Jack began, trying to move things along. "Yesterday the three of us each got a message on our Vortex Manipulators, leading us to a construction site filled with weevils. Tosh, I want you to see if you can find out where it came from, who did it, anything. I've sent the necessary data to your computer."

"Does this have anything to do with that warrior?" Toshiko mused.

"We have to assume it does." the immortal nodded. "We don't know how, but I'm pretty sure that all of this is connected. And that Ria is somehow involved."

They all turned to the girl, who didn't look up, staring at the creature in her lap.

"And that's why I, with the consent of my daughter, have decided to tell all of you the full story." Jack continued. "There probably is something out there and if it is connected to the agency, it's going to be deadly. We have to be prepared."

{oOo}

Once again, the team was sitting around the conference table, no one willing to talk first. Jack had given them the short version of what had happened to his daughter in the last four years and to say that his team had been shocked would have been a severe understatement. Much to everyone's annoyance, it was Gwen who eventually broke the silence.

"You shouldn't have killed those two guards."

"Seriously now?" Owen yelled angrily. "_That_ is your biggest concern?"

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened, but killing innocent people just doesn't seem right."

"I have an idea." Ria spoke up for the first time since Jack had started telling them her story. "Why don't we hand you over to some psychopath for a couple of years, let him threaten or kill everyone you love before he abuses, tortures and rapes you repeatedly and when you come back, then we'll talk about this again? Does that seem fair to you?"

Jack cringed at the venom in his daughter's voice and was about to talk, when Gwen decided that she wasn't finished yet.

"Look, sweetheart-"

"_DON'T_! Don't you sweetheart me!" the girl snapped at her. "I swear, if you weren't pregnant, I'd break your face right now!"

Mouth hanging open, Gwen stared at the girl, not quite able to process her words.

"What?" Ria asked annoyed.

"I'm...pregnant?"

Leaning a bit closer to her over the table, the girl sniffed her. "About 13 weeks."

"How...? What...?"

"For fuck's sake, go home, take a pregnancy test and get out of my face."

"Can I?" Gwen asked, looking at Jack.

"Sure, go on." he nodded, glad to get rid of her for the rest of the day. As much as he cared for her, sometimes she was just too much to handle.

The woman quickly grabbed her things and scrambled out of the room.

"Thank you for that." John sighed relieved and Ria winked at him with a grin.

"You are just winding her up, aren't you?" Owen wanted to know. "I mean, you can't really smell if someone is pregnant, can you?"

"I've known ever since I came here. It's not my fault that she's too stupid to realise that she hasn't had her period in months." the girl shrugged.

"Unbelievable." the doctor laughed.

"Tosh, why don't you get on that task I gave you?" Jack smiled at the woman.

"Sure." she smiled back and got up, gently squeezing Ria's shoulder, shooting her a reassuring smile before leaving the room.

"Owen, check on Ianto. I suspect he's in more pain than he admits." the immortal continued, earning himself an eye-roll from his lover. "I'll send Ria down in a minute, I'm guessing you want to have a look at her back as well."

Nodding, the doctor got up, ushering Ianto, who insisted that he was just fine, down to the med bay.

"John, why don't you go catch some sleep?" he raised an eyebrow at the man, who was yawning again.

"Looks like you're in trouble." the younger Captain grinned at his daughter, who proceeded to flip him off. "Hey, manners!"

"You were the one supposed to teach me." she grinned back.

"And you," Jack finally turned to his daughter after John had left "you can't talk to my team, your father or me like that."

"Whatever."

"No, I'm serious about this." he warned. "You probably won't believe me, but in some aspects, I know what you're going through right now and that's no excuse to act out like that. Not even at Gwen!"

"I know you do." Ria smiled at him sympathetically.

Frowning, Jack looked at his daughter. He had suspected her to tell him to shove it or at least roll her eyes at him, but not this.

"I know about the Master." she said, biting her lower lip.

"How?" the immortal choked out, swallowing hard. He hadn't even told Ianto the full truth about that time of his life.

"The Doctor. He's not as good at keeping secrets as he thinks he is. And he's still beating himself up about it, you know."

"Don't you worry about any of that. It has nothing to do with you." Jack sighed, rubbing his face.

"It has everything to do with me!" the girl protested, moving to the chair next to him and putting a hand on his cheek. "You are still hurting and I am _so_ sorry that I wasn't here for you when you needed me. And don't even try to deny it, you could never cope without me." she added with a grin, resting her forehead against his. "We are going to work through this, together. Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jack smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, pulling her into hug. "You realise that I'm the one who's supposed to be the adult in this relationship, right?" he grinned.

"Yeah well, our family has always been strange." Ria laughed, brushing a strand of hair out of his face. "I love you, dad." she smiled fondly.

"Not as much as I love you." the immortal winked at her, finally causing her to roll her eyes. "Do you know how to contact the Doctor? My version of him?" he asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence and cuddles.

"Why don't you ask your friend Martha?" Ria raised an eyebrow, moving back a little.

"She works for UNIT now."

"You don't trust her anymore?"

"I don't trust UNIT not to have her under surveillance. The last thing we need is for them to find out about any of this."

"Fair enough." the girl sighed. "And no, I don't know how to contact your version of him. However-" she added, pulling out her notebook, scribbling something into it, ripping out the page and handing it to him.

"What's that?"

"The way how to reach my version of him."

"What about timelines?"

"Rule number one applies to both him and me." Ria grinned and shrugged. "Besides, we could really use his help. That warrior thing bugs me."

"If there is someone who's able to find out more-"

"It's him, I know." she finished, just as Ianto knocked at the door, two cups of coffee in hand.

"Perfect timing." Jack grinned, getting up and taking one of them. "Ria, I need to talk to Owen for a minute before making a call to our friend," he continued with a wink "be a doll and go see if you can help Tosh?"

"Aye aye, Captain!" the girl grinned, snatching the other cup from Ianto and pressing a kiss to his cheek before leaving the room.

"What are you doing right now?" Jack asked, moving close to the archivist, placing his hands on his hips.

"The paperwork you should have done last week, sir."

"Don't even start!" the immortal moaned, beginning to place light kisses on his neck.

"What do you mean, _sir_?" the younger man asked with a cheeky grin.

"You bastard." Jack laughed, capturing his mouth in a tender kiss.

"Didn't you need to talk to Owen? And make a call?" Ianto pointed out, moving back a little.

"Yeah..." the Captain sighed, pressing another, briefer kiss to his lips. "But we are going to continue this later."

"It would be my pleasure, sir." Ianto smirked and winked at his lover before returning to his work.

* * *

"Owen, can I ask you something? From a medical point of view?" Ria asked, lying on the med table while the doctor finished fixing up her back and forehead.

"Depends if you're going to insult me again."

"Sorry about that."

"What do you want to know?" he sighed, handing her back her shirt.

"Why can't I have sex with Tael?" she asked bluntly, putting on her clothes.

A little taken aback, Owen stared at her for a moment before hopping on to the table next to her. "What do you mean?"

"I really wanted to, but I couldn't. I kept picturing _him_."

"That doesn't seem very unusual to me, given what he's done to you."

"But it worked with Kryll."

"Did it?" Owen raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah. Well, it was terrible, disgusting and sometimes it hurt, but it worked."

"He abused you, sweetheart, that's different."

"No he didn't."

"You were barely 17 years old, pregnant with a child from the man who raped you, trying desperately to get away from him while doing your best to repress everything that had happened the past three years. Anyone using this to their advantage has to be an asshole."

"Kryll didn't know half of that."

"Did he see that you were uncomfortable with what was going on?"

The girl nodded, playing with a roll of bandages.

"And did he stop?"

This time she shook her head.

"That _is_ abusing you." Owen smiled sadly.

"Fine, whatever. But why doesn't it work now? With Tael? He isn't pushing me or anything. He's loving, understanding and always so careful not to say or do anything to make me uncomfortable. Why can't I give this one thing back to him in return?" she groaned frustrated.

"Do you think you owe this to him?"

"Yeah, I mean, we are two adults in a relationship, that's how things work."

"No, it isn't. Not in your case." Owen sighed, getting up. "You don't have to do this." he said firmly, standing in front of her, his hands on her shoulders.

"But I do!" the girl insisted, looking up at him, tears shining in the corners of her eyes.

"Why? Why do you think that?"

"Because he wants to."

"Has he been urging you to do things you didn't want to do?" he asked, growing angry.

"No, but it's a logical assumption, isn't it? I don't want him to leave." she choked out, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Shit." Owen hissed, quickly closing his arms around the crying girl. "Hey, it's fine, come on, sweetheart." the doctor soothed, running a hand up and down her back.

"No, it's not fine!" Ria sobbed, clinging to the man, her face pressed against his chest. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because it _really_ is."

"You're a bloody hypocrite. How long would you stay in a relationship without the 'physical aspect'?"

"I'm dead, remember?" he grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

"You know what I mean!"

"Before I came to Torchwood, I had a fiancée, Katie. We had already started planning the wedding and everything. She had dementia. Or at least that's what we thought it was. Turned out to be an alien parasite." he laughed bitterly. "There were days when she couldn't even remember my name. Sometimes she cried and screamed for hours, trying and failing to remember the most mundane things. It was nerve-racking, even though I knew it wasn't her fault. We got into huge fights almost on a daily basis. But at the end of the day, we still loved each other and I wouldn't have traded her for anyone else." he smiled, pulling back to be able to look at the girl.

"That's different, she wasn't broken when you met her." Ria sighed. "I should just walk away from it right now, it isn't fair to hold him back like that."

"What does he have to say about all of this?" Owen raised an eyebrow at her.

"That doesn't care about that."

"Why don't you believe him?"

"Because that's not how the world works. Life isn't a freaking fairytale. It's hard and depressing and full of pain and disappointment." the girl groaned, nuzzling her head into the crook of the man's neck.

"Are you trying to give me a run on being the most pessimistic and cynical member of Torchwood?"

"Just being realistic."

Sighing, Owen pressed a kiss to her head. After everything the girl had been through, it was no wonder she looked at the worl the way she did. And the doctor honestly didn't know how to convince her otherwise. "You should call him."

"I'm angry at him."

"Why?"

"Because he keeps saying that he loves me and that things will be fine."

"Do you realise how stupid that sounds?" the doctor laughed, stepping away.

"It kinda does, doesn't it?" she grinned, desperate to move away from the subject.

"Good girl." he smiled, brushing some tears away from her cheeks. "You are going to be fine, I promise."

"So are you."

"I'm dead, there's not much more that can go wrong here anymore." he laughed again.

"About that," Ria said happily, reaching for her satchel "I might have a way to make you less dead." she smirked, holding a vial of golden liquid out to him.

{oOo}

"This is..." Owen began, staring at his blood sample through the microscope.

"Pretty fucking amazing?" Ria offered.

"Definitely!" he smiled brightly, turning around.

"Do you think it will work on a big scale?" she asked, taking a turn in looking at the blood. When the doctor had drawn it from his arm, it had been a sticky black goo, looking more like something rotten than human blood. Thanks to a minimal number of nanogenes and a sample of Owen's blood from before his death, it was now as good as new.

"I don't see why not."

"Normally I would agree, death is just a minor inconvenience to those little buggers, but you didn't just die. There was that glove involved." she said, absently chewing on her lower lip.

"As far as we know, any connection I had to that thing vanished when we destroyed it."

"As far as you know? That's encouraging." she rolled her eyes.

"I'm just a normal corpse now, I promise. A normal, talking corpse." he grinned.

"This could really kill you, no coming back again."

"Life is all about taking risks." he shrugged.

"Fine, but this is on you, doctor." she sighed, making way for Owen to look at the sample again.

"So, those nanogenes, they could easily heal your back, yeah?"

"Not gonna happen."

"Why not?" he asked confused, turning around and raising an eyebrow at her.

"Two reasons, really. If they heal me, we'll never find out what exactly that warrior did to my back and my curiosity won't allow for that to happen." the girl grinned, before turning serious again. "And we need all of them if we want to fix you. Which is considerably more important than my scratches."

"Thanks, sweetheart." he smiled, attending to his experiment again.

"Don't thank me yet." Ria reminded him, hopping back onto the table, watching him work in silence.

"Why have I never even heard of nanogenes?" Owen mused after a while. "I mean, working for Torchwood and with Jack and all."

"Weeeeeeeell," she smirked "they are not strictly legal anymore and incredibly hard to come by."

"Something like this is illegal? Why the hell's that?"

"They can be dangerous. A lot of accidents involving nanogenes have occurred over time."

"What kind of accidents?" he wanted to know, sounding scared for the first time.

"Accidents involving altered DNA and a lot of creepy World War II zombies." the girl laughed.

"_What_?"

"That's a story for another time, don't you think?" Jack asked, casually leaning in the door.

"Whatever you say, it's your story after all." she grinned at him, fishing for her buzzing phone. "Great..." she sighed when she looked at the caller ID, nevertheless answering it while already walking out of the room.

"World War II zombies?" the doctor raised an eyebrow.

"You don't wanna know." the immortal sighed. "You think this will work?" he asked, motioning towards the experiment.

"Think so. Needs a bit more testing, but from what I've seen so far and from what your daughter has told me, I see no reason why it shouldn't."

"Mhhm..." The Captain sounded less than convinced.

"Jack, you're not going to tell me that I can't do this, are you?"

"No." he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You have to do this, I understand. But, Owen, don't get your hopes up. And I have two conditions!"

"What conditions?"

"You have to conclude your testing, maybe use some of your dead tissue, see if it works. And I want to know everything, no matter if the outcome is good or bad. No hiding failed attempts from me."

"I can live with that. Or be dead with that, to be precise." Owen smiled at the immortal, grateful that he wasn't going to obstruct his - hopefully successful - attempt at becoming a mortal man again.

"And I want to be there when it happens." Jack added.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, mate." the doctor said honestly, surprising the Captain by capturing him in a quick hug before removing the slide from under the microscope, replacing it with a different one.

{oOo}

"What?" Ria barked into her phone, clearly annoyed.

_"Are you still mad at me?"_ Tael asked, sounding tired and sad.

"I don't know..."

_"I'm sorry, love."_

"Stop saying that!" she groaned. "You didn't do anything to be sorry for." she added in a quieter voice.

_"I should have stopped you."_ the alien sighed.

"You couldn't have."

_"Look,"_ he began, trying to find the right words _"I've said it before and I meant it; I love you, you are everything to me and _this _doesn't matter. At all."_

"Stop being so fairytale-kitschy." the girl said, unable to suppress a fond smile forming on her lips.

_"I'm serious, you stubborn little Bosh'tet!"_ Tael laughed, relieved to hear her become calmer.

"Yeah, well, now you are. But what about in a month? Six months? A year? Five years? What if it never happens?"

_"Don't care." _he insisted.

"Liar."

_"What do I have to do to make you believe me?"_

"There's nothing you can do. Maybe you should find-"

_"_Don't!_ Don't even finish that thought!"_ he snapped. _"I am not going to walk away from you, Dorian. And I'm going to prove it. Every single day for the rest of my life."_

"All right, that's too corny now." she laughed, unable to help herself. _'That stupidly handsome man with his stupidly loving and caring nature and his stupid charm!'_ she thought, grinning.

_"Shut up, you love it."_ Tael smirked.

"Well, what if I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you? What if I find someone even more gorgeous?" Ria teased.

_"Impossible!"_

"Oh, the vanity!"

_"Besides, no more free drinks if you dump me."_

The girl gasped in mock horror. "That's borderline blackmail!"

_"Tough."_ Tael laughed again. _"So, are we good?"_ he asked hopefully.

"Sure."

_"Coming over tonight?"_

"Absolutely."

_"All right, gotta run. Hans is yelling about something again."_

"Isn't he always?" she laughed.

_"Don't I know it. See you later."_

"Yep, see you."

_"Dorian?"_

"Yeah?"

_"I love you."_

"Love you too, idiot." Ria smiled, ending the call.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Ianto asked, one eyebrow raised, a grin on his face.

"Fixing things."

"By making fruit explode?"

"Funny." Ria said flatly without looking at him and another apple burst into tiny bits.

"What exactly are you doing, then?"

"Squashing stuff with my fields."

"Why?"

"Practice."

"For what?"

"Leave me alone, Yan." she sighed, a peach flying into the air and turning into mush.

Walking up behind her, Ianto closed his arms around the girl, placing a kiss on the back of her head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she grumbled, leaning back into the man, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Very convincing." he chuckled, taking her hands, linking their fingers.

"Look, I don't really know what's going on here, but whatever it is, it's probably my fault."

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't is obvious?" she groaned, sounding exhausted. "Whoever sent the warrior and the messages is after me. It started after I came back, it evidently is someone connected to that bloody agency and I'm the one who practically lobotomised or killed all remaining agents. Or at least I thought it was all of them."

"We don't know that, pêt."

"Stop trying to make me feel better."

Turning her around, Ianto closed his arms around the girl, burying his face in her locks. "Never."

"This is how you handle me putting you all in deadly danger?" Ria sighed, shutting her eyes, putting her arms around the archivist and holding on to him tightly, enjoying the comforting closeness.

"Whatever's happening here, we are going to handle it, together. All of us." he stated determined.

"Why are you so fucking perfect at everything?" the girl smiled against his chest.

"Practice." Ianto grinned and pulled back, cupping her cheek and placing a quick kiss on her lips. "Now, tell me how your fruit salad trick works." he smiled, trying to change the subject.

"You're not going to give lame names to all the stuff I do, are you?" Ria laughed, disentangling herself from him. "It's quite easy, actually. Same concept as before with the agents. Create a big field around the whole room and a smaller one around whatever object I want to crush. I can freely move the smaller field around in the big one. Then I just have to make the small field even smaller and smaller until..." she trailed off, moving a second peach from the floor into the air where it hovered for a second before being squashed.

Ianto didn't fail to notice how she started to tremble, her fists clenched, a highly concentrated and slightly pained expression on her face. But he decided against saying something, fearing that she would get upset if he pointed out how tired and worn out she looked. "You need a super hero name." he grinned instead, causing her to roll her eyes at him.

"There's something else I'm working on, watch!" she exclaimed excitedly, holding out her hand. A tiny flame appeared, growing bigger by the second until it was about the size of a football. With a flick of her hand, the fiery ball started to rise before bursting in a blinding blaze of lights.

"Be careful with that!" the man shrieked, taking a few steps back.

"Sorry." Ria laughed. "As I said, I'm still working on it. Fields filled with fire. Awesome, isn't it?"

"Not if they explode into my face!" Ianto scolded.

"Ah, don't worry, they're harmless." she waved aside his concerns.

"I bet that warrior begs to differ."

"It's different with you, though." she mumbled and Ianto was surprised, again, to see her blush.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"Well, they don't seem to burn you."

"Why not?" he wondered, realising for the first time that he should have been seriously hurt that time in the warehouse.

"Not sure." Ria shrugged. "Only ever worked with Dall before. We would throw them back and forth between ourselves as kids, setting countless things on fire in the process." she smiled at the memory. "You trust me, right?" she asked after a moment, grabbing one of Ianto's hands.

"What are you doing?" the man demanded, trying to pull his hand away.

"Do you trust me?" she asked again, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Yes." he smiled after hesitating for a second, relaxing in her grip.

"All right, let's see if this works." she said, more to herself than Ianto. A puny flame - made extra tiny in order not to hurt the man too much if anything went wrong - manifested itself on her arm, slowly wandering down over her hand and onto Ianto's.

"It tickles." he noticed.

"That's normal." the girl reassured him and let go of his wrist, moving back a little.

"How do you control it?" he mused, turning his hand over, staring at the fire.

"I just kinda imagine what I want it do to."

"So, if you want it to become bigger..." he began, only to cry out in surprise when it started to grow rapidly. "Make it stop!" he yelled, eyes wide with fear.

"I'm not doing anything!" Ria yelled back, looking just as surprised as the man.

"What do I do?" he asked, staring at the still growing flame with a panicked expression.

"Imagine it disappearing!"

Without making a sound, the flame vanished and Ria immediately threw her arms around Ianto, hugging him tightly. "Holy shit!"

"What just happened?" he choked out, closing his own trembling arms around the girl.

"You...erhm...you controlled it."

"How?"

"Empathy."

"What?"

"Jack mentioned you having a very low level of psychic empathy."

"Right, I thought he was joking about that." Ianto frowned, stepping away from her. "What does it mean?"

"Just that you're extremely aware of people's feelings and emotions." Ria smiled, trying to be reassuring.

"And the state of mind of fire, obviously." he said cynically.

"It's a flame made by me, with my thoughts. And we are close. It was an accident, nothing more."

"I accidentally played with your emotions in fire form?" he laughed.

"Something like that, yeah." she smiled, relieved that he didn't seem to question her explanation. Which was good, because she had been making most of it up. No one besides her was supposed to be in control of the fire. No one besides her and Dallin.

* * *

"Wake up." Ria whispered, poking her father's cheek repeatedly.

Grumbling, John opened one eye, sleepily looking up at his daughter. "What?"

"Good, you're up." the girl grinned, holding a mug of coffee out to him.

"Why'd you wake me up?" he groaned, pulling the covers over his head.

"Dunno, was bored." she shrugged, placing the coffee on the bedside table. "And we need to talk about Tael."

"No we don't."

Sighing, she pulled back the covers, snuggling close to John. "We do."

"Why?" the Captain asked grumpily, nevertheless closing his arms around the girl, resting his head on top of hers.

"Because you can't keep punching the man."

"We'll see about that." John murmured.

"Daddy, seriously. You know he didn't do anything, don't you?"

"I don't like the guy."

"You're not supposed to, you're my father." Ria grinned.

"He's too old for you."

"Oh come on! He's 103, barely an adult for Asiri standards. Jack is nearly 150 years older than you."

"That's different."

"Tael is a good guy, I promise."

"Mercenary." John pointed out.

"Formerly." the girl corrected him. "People change, dad."

"I guess they do, yeah." the man sighed sadly, hugging his daughter a little closer.

"You have to get over him, this is destroying you."

"Which one of them?" John laughed bitterly. "This sucks. Majorly so."

"You don't have to stay here." Ria smiled at him, softly running a hand through his hair.

"I can't leave you." he sighed, closing his eyes and enjoying the sensation.

"I'll be fine, promise."

"But I won't be." he choked out, a single tear running down his cheek.

"I could come with you." she offered, kissing the tear away.

"No, you couldn't."

Ria wanted to protest, but she knew he was right. It would probably kill Jack for good if she left again. And Ianto. She wasn't sure why, but the prospect of leaving Ianto felt like someone was ramming a dagger right through her heart. "I love you." she finally said, trying hard to hold back her own tears.

"It's not your job to fix me, baby." John smiled, cupping his daughter's cheek. "I'll be fine eventually."

"We'll find someone for you!" she stated determined.

"I think Gwen has the hots for me." he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah!" the girl laughed, turning onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows.

It had become painfully obvious over the last couple of weeks that the woman found the Captain to be quite attractive. And she was bad at hiding it. Very bad. Both John and Ria had noticed the lingering stares and not even her dismissive attitude towards him could completely conceal the attraction.

"Don't think I haven't noticed how you tease her, swaying your hips just a tiny bit more than usual!" Ria smirked.

"Not that she'd ever admit it, though, putting up a tough front and all." John laughed as well.

"When are you going to tell her you're gay?" Ria grinned, already knowing the answer.

"When teasing her stops being funny." the man grinned back.

"So, never?"

"Exactly!"

They looked at each other for a moment before breaking out in giggles.

"I missed tattling with you." Ria sighed fondly, sitting up.

"What does that say about my parenting skills?" John laughed again, copying her and reaching for his coffee.

The girl took the opportunity and grabbed his wrist, earning herself a confused look. "For protection and guidance." she explained, fastening a bracelet around it.

"Alurian pearl. Hard to get by. And it matches my eyes." John smiled, twisting the little dark green bead between his fingers. "Come here." he said, grabbing his daughter, crushing her to his chest. "You are my everything." he whispered lovingly, pressing a kiss to her head.

"_MY_ daddy!" Ria stated possessively and very child-like, a huge smile spreading across her face when she pulled back.

"All yours, baby." the man grinned, quickly running a hand over her cheek before finally taking his mug and taking a sip. "It's cold!" he pouted.

Rolling her eyes at him, Ria took the coffee away from him, swirled the spoon around, shooting a few tiny flames down along the metal and into the liquid. "Good as new."

John took a sip and started coughing. "Calling this coffee is a bit far-fetched, don't you think?"

"There is coffee in there." the girl shrugged, balancing on her toes.

"And a shitload of whisky!" the Captain exclaimed. "Not that I'm complaining, though." he added with a grin, finishing up the rest of his drink with two big gulps.

"Well, I thought you could use something stronger than coffee, because there's something else I gotta tell you."

"That doesn't sound good..." he groaned.

"Oh no, it is. For me. I'm staying at Tael's tonight. Jack said it's fine, so really, you should be angry at him." she grinned.

"Over my dead body!" John growled, jumping up from the bed.

"I thought that, maybe, you wanted to tag along?" she said, making puppy eyes at him, trying to look as innocent as possible. "You know, I think being the father of the owner's girlfriend entitles you to free drinks."

"_No!_"

"That way you could keep an eye on me?"

"_No!_"

"I can hook you up with that hot bartender?"

"_No_...wait, what?" the man asked, stopping to pace around his room, facing the girl. "How did you-?"

"Oh, please. I'm brilliant!" Ria winked at him, walking out of the room and back to the main area. "You coming?" she yelled back when John didn't follow.

The Captain stood in the middle of his room for a moment, unsure about what to do. "Damn it." he finally sighed, grabbing his jacket.

"Take the black trench coat from yesterday, he thought you looked sexy in that." came Ria's smirking voice again.

"Unbelievable." John laughed, quickly taking the demanded coat from a chair, sprinting after his daughter. "Has anyone ever been able to say no to you?" he asked after catching up with her.

"What do you think?"

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I made John gay and his eyes green. Why? Because I can *mwahahahaha* As usual, please leave comments and tell me what you thought.


	26. Love Is In The Air

**A/N: **There was a review for the last chapter and since it was written by a guest, I'm going to answer here;

First of all, thanks a lot for your input, I do appreciate it. About your points of criticism:  
Ria doesn't know everything, not at all. But she is very aware of the people around her, because it's easier to concentrate on their problems than to deal with her own things. And about the powers, I mentioned that she might not be entirely human and I wanted to bring a little more science fiction to the whole story. If you don't like that, I'm sorry, but it was intended that way. As for Jack and John, I wrote in the beginning that John isn't the bad guy in this story. Both he and Jack more or less stumbled into that whole mess with the Time Agency, they are not bad or mean people in general. But, as a matter of fact, things will start to get a little darker in just a few chapters, so maybe you'll like that better. We'll see some of Jack's past and a bit more of John's 'dark side'.

Now, please enjoy the new chapter everyone!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** Some shameless fluff and smut. Jack and Ianto / Dorian and Tael / John and a sexy barkeeper.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, smut (yay!)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two - Love Is In The Air**

"What do you say we call it a night?" Jack asked, leaning in the door to archive 13-B.

Setting a load of files down, Ianto glanced at his watch, eyes growing wide.

"Yes, you've been down here for a while." the Captain grinned, walking over to the man, closing his arms around him.

"Everyone else gone home?"

"Tosh left about an hour ago, Owen is staying the night. He's doing some experiments."

Frowning, Ianto looked up at the other man. He didn't sound particularly happy about whatever their doctor was up to.

"I'm fine." Jack reassured him, cupping his cheek, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"All right then, let's go get our girl and head home."

The immortal immediately stepped back at that, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?" Ianto asked confused. "Are you sure you are fine?" he wanted to know, unsure whether to be worried or annoyed.

"_Our girl?_"

It took the archivist a moment to realise what he'd done, but when he did, he blushed furiously. "Sorry." he mumbled, quickly turning around to gather his things.

"What about?" Jack asked, following him over to the desk.

"Look, Jack, I didn't mean anything by it." he groaned, rubbing his face. "The last couple of weeks have been kind of intense, Dorian and I grew closer and I know how stupid that sounds, but she is like family to me and-"

"Shut up, Yan." the older man laughed heartily, pulling him close again. "You are my anchor, you keep me grounded." he smiled, softly tracing his thumb along the other man's face, smiling down at him. "I put you through hell on a regular basis and yet you still stand by my side, supportive and loyal as ever. You accept all my flaws and faults and you take care of me, my daughter and even my hellish ex." he added with a slight grin, leaning in close to Ianto's ear. "You are my hero, Ianto Jones, and more importantly, you are my family. And Dorian's." he whispered before pressing their lips together in a tender and emotional kiss.

"I love you." Ianto moaned into the kiss, moved by the unusual display of feelings. And he could have kicked himself as soon as the words left his mouth. _'What is wrong with me today?'_ he thought, expecting the Captain to react badly to such a confession.

Jack wanted to say it back, he really did. But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it. _'This is ridiculous!'_ he scolded himself. _'You more or less told him how you feel already, just say the words!'_

Feeling the older man tense in his arms, Ianto sighed and stepped back, grabbing his bag, quickly heading for the door. There was no reason for him to stay and listen to the Captain's lecture about how he didn't do love and all that 'overly emotional and binding nonsense'.

"Yan, wait." Jack pleaded, taking his wrist.

"It's all right, Jack. I'm sorry."

"I care about you." the immortal said softly, placing his hands on either side of the younger man's face. "More than I've cared for anybody in a very long time. I need you, Yan. You complete me." he smiled insecurely, his stomach doing a double flip. It amazed him anew every time how easy it was for the Welshman to turn him to jelly.

"I love you, Jack." Ianto said with more confidence this time, a relieved smile starting to form on his lips.

Positively beaming with joy, the Captain pulled him as close as humanly possible, their noses touching, looking him deep in the eyes as if he was searching for something. "You know that I...well...you know, right?" he stammered, still holding Ianto's face.

Ianto did. He wasn't fully convinced that this was really happening, but he decided that he just didn't care. "I do." he breathed, closing the final distance between them, grabbing Jack's neck, pulling him close again when he tried to move back for air. "You're not going anywhere!" he grinned into Jack's mouth, pushing the suspenders off his shoulders.

"Hey, I'm trying to be romantic here." the older man protested with a laugh, pushing him back against a filing cabinet, loosening his tie and undoing the first couple of buttons of his shirt.

Ianto huffed when the movement caused a wave of pain to shoot through his chest, suddenly making it very hard to breathe.

Jack frowned concerned, stepping back a little. "Just how much pain are you in?"

"A considerable amount." the archivist confessed, leaning his head back against the cold metal, trying to steady his breathing.

"All right, that's it. You are going to rest and take it easy. And this is not up for discussion, this is an order!" he said, picking Ianto's bag up from the floor, throwing it over his shoulder. "Let's go home." he smiled, supporting his lover's weight with his other arm, his worry growing when Ianto didn't protest.

"It's my own fault, Owen said no shagging when he examined me yesterday." he grinned, leaning into the immortal and they slowly made their way up to the main area. "What about Ria?" he asked confused when they passed her room without stopping.

"She's with John, don't worry about her. The top priority here is to get you into bed. And for once, I really mean just to rest."

"Of course you do." Ianto said, managing a weak grin.

* * *

"May I join you?" Tael asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

"It's your club, so I guess, yeah." John grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Look, I get that you don't like me-"

"What gave you that impression?" the Captain gasped in mock surprise.

"Please? I'm trying to apologise here." the alien sighed.

Raising an eyebrow, John motioned him to continue.

"I should have contacted Jack when Ria turned up here. I am sorry for causing you those extra months of pain. And I am especially sorry for almost getting her killed." he added, a pained expression on his face.

"Did you know what she was going to do? That she was going to let that maniac get his hands on her again?"

"No!" Tael exclaimed firmly. "I didn't, I swear. I would have done everything in my power to stop her if I had known." he said, rubbing his face. "I beat the information out of Vaas, but it was too late, Jago had already vanished again."

John didn't say anything, keeping his gaze on the other man's features. There was a black eye forming from the punch the night before, but what caught his attention were the eyes. The alien looked ashamed and hurt, completely and utterly miserable.

"And I'm sorry about last night. You have to believe me," he pleaded "that I would never intentionally hurt your daughter. I love her, she means all the worlds to me and I promise that I'm trying my best to keep her safe and out of harm's way."

"I'm not doubting that." the Captain admitted, relaxing a little.

"She talks about you guys all the time, you know." Tael smiled. "I envy the relationship you have with her, I never had that with my parents. And that is why I need you to be okay with this. I don't want to come between a father and his child."

"What exactly happened last night?"

"I failed to act like a responsible adult."

"So, you couldn't manage to say no to her?" John asked, unable to suppress the grin forming on his face.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Mate, you are whipped."

"Oh, I know." the alien grinned back. They looked at each other for a moment before breaking out in laughter.

"If you hurt her," John began after they had calmed down "I am going to skin you alive. You got that?"

"Deal." Tael said, holding out his hand to him. "And thank you."

"Yeah, whatever." the other man grinned, shaking it.

"Oh, by the way, Argo asked me to give this to you." the alien said, sliding a room key across the table. "His shift ends in an hour." he winked before getting up.

"I'm starting to like you." John grinned, his eyes darting over to the bar and the beautiful olive skinned man mixing the drinks.

* * *

"Jack, this is silly!" Ianto complained, when the immortal was almost carrying him up the stars to his flat. "I'm a grown man and I can walk just fine."

"I could pick you up bridal style, if that's what you prefer?" Jack grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"That would certainly give Widow Priestly something to talk about."

They both turned their heads, waving and grinning at the elderly woman watching them through her bedroom window across the street, causing her to quickly close the blinds.

"Old hag." Ianto murmured, unlocking the door.

"Oh come on, she is not that bad."

"She thinks you're an escort. Last week, one of her coffee party hens asked me about your hourly fee."

"I'm taking that as a compliment." Jack smirked, helping the younger man out of his coat.

"Of course you are." Ianto groaned, flopping down on the couch. He hadn't realised how exhausted he actually was until just now. He closed his eyes, sinking a bit further into the sofa, stretching and yawning. He was almost dozing off when Jack softly nudged his shoulder.

"Come on, get up." he smiled, pulling the sleepy man up and into the bathroom where the tub was filling up rapidly, the smell of oranges spreading across the room. Without hesitating, the Captain began to carefully rid Ianto of his clothes, placing soft kisses on his lips at every chance.

Humming happily, Ianto enjoyed their closeness.

Smiling, Jack continued his task until the younger man was completely exposed, running a trained eye over his features, stopping at the huge black bruises forming on his chest and side. Wincing slightly, he placed a feather light kiss on each one of them before straightening up and helping him into the tub.

Ianto sank into the warm water, immediately closing his eyes with a satisfied sigh. He didn't notice Jack leaving and was surprised to find a cup of his favourite tea, two of the painkillers Owen had given him and the book he was currently reading sitting on a chair next to the tub when he opened them again.

{oOo}

Ianto could smell food when he emerged from the bathroom an hour later and realised that he hadn't eaten anything since lunch almost nine hours ago. It wasn't unusual for Jack to order some take out for the two of them, but he couldn't suppress a grin when he spotted the Captain standing in the kitchen, his coat and shirt discarded on a chair, a towel over his shoulder, studying a piece of paper while absently stirring something.

"I didn't know you could cook." he smiled fondly, stepping behind the immortal, closing his arms around him, resting his chin on his shoulder.

"I can't." Jack shrugged sheepishly, showing him the piece of paper, a cooking manual for mushroom risotto, quickly written by John, judging from the handwriting and the snarky comments.

"It does smell good, though. And the kitchen is still standing. I'm very proud of you." Ianto teased.

Pulling the pot away from the stove, Jack turned around in his lover's arms, a perfect pout in place.

"Fine." the younger man sighed, trying very hard not to laugh. "You did good."

Smirking, Jack leaned down, capturing the archivist's mouth in a quick kiss before shooing him into the living room and onto the couch, where a comfy blanket and several pillows from the bedroom were waiting for him.

"The domestication of Captain Harkness." Ianto grinned. "If you start doing your own laundry now, that would be neat."

"What's with all the sass lately?" Jack grinned back, raising an eyebrow.

"You taught me well."

"I've created a monster." the immortal laughed, brushing a strand of hair out of Ianto's face, shooting him a small smile before vanishing back into the kitchen.

* * *

Panting and with a huge grin on his face, John collapsed on top of the other man, placing a sloppy kiss on his lips before rolling over onto his back.

"That was fun." Argo smirked, propping himself up on one elbow, running his other hand over the Captain's stomach.

"Mmmmmh..." John mumbled sleepily, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Do you...you know, do you want me to leave?" the barkeeper asked sheepishly.

"Nah, 's fine, stay."

Smiling widely, Argo moved closer to the other man, closing an arm around him, playing with one of his curls with his free hand. "We should do this again."

"Yeah." the Captain agreed, placing a hand on the back of the other man's head, pulling him into a slow kiss. They stayed in that position after the kiss had ended, their lips still touching, enjoying their ongoing postcoital bliss.

"Hey, ehhhm, do you, maybe, wanna go out some time? Like, see a movie or have a couple of drinks?" Argo broke the silence after a while, blushing slightly.

"_What?_" John choked out, moving away a little.

"Oh...it's fine, really. Don't worry. I was just wondering." the other man shrugged, unable to completely hide his disappointment. "I'm just gonna...well, leave, I think." he stammered, sitting up.

"You're awkward." the Captain laughed, only causing Argo to turn a darker shade of red, starting to scan the room for his clothes. "Come back here." he smiled, opening his arms.

Hesitating for a moment, Argo finally accepted the other man's invitation, snuggling close to John. "Sorry." he mumbled, not able to look him in the eyes.

"Don't worry about it, just wasn't expecting it."

"So, is that a yes?" the barkeeper asked shyly.

"Sure, why not."

Beaming, Argo pulled the Captain into a kiss, moving down over his jaw and neck to his chest and stomach.

_'This is going to get compli...'_ John thought, but was distracted when he felt the younger man's mouth around his cock, already starting to get aroused again. _'Who cares?'_ he grinned to himself, grabbing a fistful of Argo's hair, closing his eyes with a moan.

* * *

Tired of the commotion up in the club, Tael instructed Hans to take care of everything and made his way down to his quarters. Ria had vanished almost immediately after turning up at 'The Beyond' and he had a suspicion as to what the girl was up to. And sure enough, he could hear the sounds of his old grand piano when he approached his door and a smile formed on his lips. Careful not to disturb her, he slipped into the room and sat down in his armchair, picking up the book from the coffee table. He knew better than to talk to her when she was playing and composing. She was in her own world right now and probably hadn't even noticed him entering.

And he quite enjoyed listening to the girl's music. Personally, he preferred the violin, but whenever she was playing that, he could be sure that she was in an extremely foul mood, so he was glad that it was the piano today. Setting the book down again, he went over to the small enclosed kitchen, making himself a cuppa. No matter what part of the universe you're from, living in Britain for nearly 90 years makes an avid tea drinker out of everyone. He set one cup down on the piano for Ria, only to pick it up again and slide a coaster underneath it. He remembered only too well the last time he had forgotten and the lecture about cleanliness and tidiness that had followed. Not that he minded too much, though, the girl provided a nice contrast to his own chaotic nature.

He sat back down in his chair, watching Ria while drinking his tea. She alternated between playing and scribbling notes down in one of her journals. After a while, she absently reached for the cup, managing to grab it without looking. Tael couldn't help himself; he had to giggle at the sight. The ritual had started a while back. He would always bring her a cup of her own and for the first dozen or so times, it just stood there until it was cold. Over time, though, she had started to drink it, completely unaware of when he put it there. He often watched her reach for the cup, realise that it wasn't there and immediately forget about it again, continuing with her music.

"Did you talk to John?" she asked after a while, startling the man who was absorbed in his novel.

"Yeah."

"Did he threaten you? Was it skinning you alive or crushing your genitals?" she mused without looking up, still working on her piece.

"First one."

"That means he likes you." she laughed, finally turning around. "Hi there." she smiled fondly.

"Hi there." Tael smiled back. "That was beautiful. You should do something with that talent of yours."

"Music is utterly useless in real life, we've talked about this." she sighed, getting up and stretching.

"But you enjoy it."

"That's why I'm playing."

"You could do it professionally. People get rich that way, you know." the alien grinned.

"I am rich." she shrugged, standing in front of the armchair, looking down at Tael with a frown on her face.

"You're impossible." the man laughed, tugging on her shirt until she was sitting in his lap, placing a kiss on her lips.

"What are you reading?" she asked, nuzzling her head against his chest, closing her eyes, her legs swinging over the arm of the chair.

"_The Mystery of the Blue Train _by Agatha Christie."

"Rubbish, it's painfully obvious that Knighton did it." the girl snorted, earning herself a light slap from the alien. "Hey!" she exclaimed, sticking her lower lip out in a pout.

Laughing, Tael picked up his book again and began to read, with Dorian dozing in his lap, absently playing with a strand of his hair.

* * *

"Just pick something already!" Ianto groaned dramatically, lying on the couch with a beer in one hand, waiting for Jack to choose a movie.

"Do you own one single movie without blood and murder in it?" the Captain complained.

"What's wrong with horror?"

"Got enough of that at work." Jack murmured, flicking through the DVDs.

"You're going to get bored and start fumbling me halfway through anyway, so really, what does it matter?" the younger man smirked.

"Maybe you shouldn't mix those painkillers with beer, you're getting a little cheeky." the immortal grinned, turning around to face the other man. "Got one!" he exclaimed happily.

"_Gone With The Wind_?" Ianto raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's one of my favourite movies." Jack shrugged shyly, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

"That's surprising."

"Surprising good or surprising bad?"

"Definitely good." the archivist smiled, sitting up to make room for Jack, who flopped down beside him, beaming.

{oOo}

They were halfway through the movie, Jack lying on his back and Ianto resting on his stomach, enjoying the feeling of the older man's hand softly caressing his head, deep in his own thoughts. The last couple of hours had been surreal, but in an incredibly good way. Sure, Ianto was getting used to Jack being more open about his feelings, he had been the one pushing for them to enter a relationship after all. But to be completely honest, Ianto hadn't believed in it lasting longer than a couple of weeks, counting on the Captain getting bored or scared and running off. What they had now almost seemed ordinary, which, at least for Ianto, was hard to believe. Jack Harkness and ordinary just didn't go together. At all.

Determined, Ianto moved up, capturing the older man's mouth in a sweet kiss. _'Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.'_

"What was that for?" the immortal asked, quirking an eyebrow at the man above him.

"Since when do I need a reason to do this?" the archivist smiled, cupping the other man's cheek, leaning in for another kiss. His smile widened when he felt Jack reach around him, pulling him as close as possible, sneaking his hands under his shirt and softly running them up and down his lower back.

His lover didn't seem to be in too much pain right now, but Jack was still careful when he rolled them over on their sides, the younger man's back against the backrest of the couch. Throwing one leg over Ianto's, he softly grabbed his hips, pushing the sweatpants down an inch, caressing the exposed skin.

Ianto was feeling lightheaded, partly due to the medication, but mostly because of the man with a love struck expression and a dazzling smile on his face who was currently pressed against him. He reached up, running his fingers through Jack's hair, softly tracing the features of his face, his heart skipping a beat when the Captain closed his eyes and hummed happily.

In a perfect world according to Jack, this moment would last forever, just the two of them, cuddled up on the couch, being close. He opened his eyes to find Ianto watching him, looking more peaceful than he had seen him in a very long time. A child-like joy spread through his whole body and he couldn't resist the urge to stick his tongue out at the other man, grinning like a little boy on his birthday.

Laughing, Ianto moved forward in a quick motion, playfully capturing the Captain's tongue between his teeth, challengingly raising an eyebrow. He found himself on his back with the smirking immortal on top of him in less than a second and just about managed to suppress a hiss. His ribs really had an _impeccable_ timing. He thought about ignoring the pain for a moment, but decided against it when breathing became difficult again.

"Jack..." he choked out between clenched teeth, pressing a hand to his side.

"Sorry." the Captain murmured embarrassed, moving away and helping him to sit back up.

"Wasn't your fault." Ianto smiled weakly, but failed to be reassuring about it, going by the look on the other man's face.

"I'm such an idiot." Jack groaned, getting up and sprinting to the kitchen. He returned a minute later with a glass of water and two new painkillers, holding them out to Ianto, who quickly swallowed them, leaning back against the sofa, closing his eyes.

He could feel Jack sit down beside him again, very slowly and careful not to cause too much movement. "It's going to be fine, Jack. I'm not made out of glass."

Jack placed a kiss on Ianto's shoulder before resting his chin on it, looking up at him with big eyes. "I'm sorry, Yan."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not!" he exclaimed angrily, earning himself a frown. "I don't like it when you're hurting." he shrugged, moving away, looking down at his hands.

"Well, there's something you could do to help." Ianto grinned, softly pushing the man down on his back and settling on his chest, shifting until he found a comfortable position. Nuzzling his head into the crook of the Captain's neck, he took his hand, placing it on his head.

Chuckling, Jack closed one arm around his lover and pressed a kiss to his head before starting to softly run his finger through the dark hair again.

* * *

"Did you ever hear of someone having more than one soul mate?" Ria mused, still sitting in Tael's lap, placing tiny kisses along his neck.

"Are we talking about you and Ianto?" the alien asked, continuing to read his book.

"Yeah."

"What makes you think he could be your Spirit'in?"

"It's complicated." she sighed, burying her face in the man's hair.

"Isn't it always?" he grinned, finally setting down the novel, turning the girl around so she was straddling him. "What happened?" he asked, placing his hands on her hips, smiling when she only cringed slightly before relaxing into his touch.

"I love him _so much! _Not in the same way I love you, obviously." she added with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows.

"You look just like your father when you do that." Tael laughed, tracing them with his thumb.

"And it's not the same kind of love I feel for Jack and John either. It's different." she sighed, taking his hand, placing a kiss on every knuckle.

"Different how?"

"He completes me."

"Sounds like you found yourself a new BFF!" he teased, earning himself a slap to the head. "Well, if you act like that I'm not going to tell you anything." he said, sticking his lower lip out in a pout.

"You're a bloody man-child!" the girl sighed dramatically, sticking her tongue out at him, trying hard not to laugh.

Everything after that happened extremely quickly. The room filled with the smell of an oncoming rainstorm and lavender and before he realised what he was doing, Tael had grabbed Ria's neck and pulled her into a stormy kiss, his other hand tightly holding on to her hip. It only took him a moment to come back to his senses and he felt her fingers digging into his shoulders, her whole body rigid and trembling.

"Sorry-" he began, but was silenced when she pressed her lips against his again, even more fiercely this time, her hands moving up into his hair, tugging softly.

"Not your fault." she breathed between kisses. "Pheromones."

"Tune them down, will you?" he smirked, moving back for air, only to find himself pulled back immediately.

"Shut up." she moaned, nibbling on his lower lip, one hand moving down to cup his cheek.

"Dorian, you don't have to do this, love."

"But I want to!" she insisted, moving her tongue over his scar and down to his mouth again, swiping it over his lips, requesting access.

Trying hard to control himself, Tael slowed down the kiss, brushing some hair out of the girl's face, caressing her arm with his free hand.

They continued the lazy making out session until Ria moved back, resting her forehead against the alien's, breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" Tael asked when she didn't move, starting to get worried again.

She sat up, looking at the man, absently chewing on her lower lip, an adorable frown on her face. "Yeah." she finally grinned. "More than fine, actually."

"I love you." Tael smiled, letting out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, jumping up with the girl still clinging to him, swirling them both around the room.

"Stop it! You're making me dizzy!" Ria laughed, squirming in his arms.

"Okay." he stated simply, moving them to the bedroom, flopping down on the bed and pulling her on top of him.

With a happy hum, Ria crawled up over him, nuzzling her head against his shoulder, placing a soft kiss on it.

"No, by the way." the alien said after a while. "I've never heard of someone having more than one soul mate."

"But do you think that it is possible?"

"Did something else happen?" he wanted to know, frowning at her.

"No, it's nothing." she quickly waved aside his sudden interest, knowing perfectly well that he wasn't going to believe it, yet hoping that he would let it be.

"All right. But if there's something I can do-"

"I'll let you know, yes." the girl smiled before demanding another kiss.

* * *

Ianto was almost asleep, still lying on the sofa and in his lover's arms. The movie had ended some time ago, leaving them in a comfortable silence.

"What do you think about moving in together?" Jack asked out of the blue, trying to sound nonchalant about it, but not quite managing to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"You practically live here anyway." the archivist shrugged, moving his head to look at the other man. He couldn't imagine why Jack seemed to be so tense about this, it was true what he'd just said. The man spent almost every night and all the weekends at his place, he had moved his stuff to make room for his clothes and had already given him a key a while back. But then again, making things official probably was a huge step for Jack.

"I don't mean here." the Captain began. "I'm talking about a proper place, maybe a house. With a garden. Somewhere on the outskirts of the city, away from all the craziness that is Torchwood. You, me and Dorian?"

_Oh! _"Do you think that we're ready for this?"

"Don't you?" The immortal's face fell.

"No, Jack, that's not it." Ianto sighed, sitting up, followed by the older man. "Are you asking me this because you feel obligated to? Or because you're scared? Look," he said, placing a hand on his cheek "I don't want you to do this unless _you want_ to do it."

"More than anything." the Captain smiled, placing his own hand over Ianto's, leaning in for a kiss.

"You're going to be disappointed, though." the archivist said sheepishly when they pulled apart. "I can't afford something like that."

"About that," Jack grinned "I already kinda own such a place."

"You have a house?" This day really was full of surprises.

"Bought it about 80 years back, needed somewhere to go when the women at the hub started to get annoying. Spent about three nights there before I realised how big the house was and how lonely I felt in it."

"I don't think I feel comfortable living in your house with you having paid for everything and-"

"Don't worry, you can buy half of it if you want to. Monthly rates. And there is some renovating to be done. And _a lot_ cleaning." he shuddered at the word, causing Ianto to roll his eyes.

"You've been planning this for a while, haven't you?" the young man asked, quirking an eyebrow, a grin playing on his lips.

"Hey, a man can dream, right?" Jack laughed, pulling his lover into a hug. "So, will you come look at it with me tomorrow?"

Ianto pretended to think hard for a moment, only stopping when Jack began to make puppy eyes at him. "Fine, all right." he said, unable to hide his smile any longer.

"Thank you." the Captain whispered, capturing his mouth in a sweet kiss, feeling incredibly relieved.

* * *

Ria was wandering around, unable to fall asleep again after a particularly bad nightmare. The atmosphere in the now empty club was eery and she had to smile at the goose bumps forming on her arms. She entered the lounge, planning on playing on the piano up there in order not to wake up Tael, but found it already occupied.

John had snuck out of the room an hour earlier, having felt a little taken by surprise by Argo's proposition. After 'borrowing' a bottle of scotch from the bar, he had found himself back in the room they had been in upon first meeting Tael and had spotted the instrument. Not having anything better to do, he sat down and began to play, soon lost in the music, not noticing his daughter entering.

"Bad dreams?" the girl asked, sneaking her hands around the man, placing a kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Enough with the sneaking up on people!" the Captain shrieked.

Laughing, she took the bottle sitting on the piano and flopped down on one of the sofas.

"And what are _you_ doing up at this hour of the night?" he wanted to know, turning around on the stool.

"Bad dreams." she shrugged, taking a big gulp of scotch.

"About what?"

"Whaddaya think?" she yawned, pulling her legs up to her chest.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" the man offered, taking a seat next to her.

_"Whaddaya think?" _Ria repeated angrily.

"All right, sorry!" he said, holding his hands up in defence. "Just asking."

"Well don't!" she snapped.

"Then stop being so secretive and don't push me away all the time!" John barked back.

"I don't have to tell you shit!"

"I'm your father!"

"Then start behaving like one, for fuck's sake!"

The Captain opened his mouth to say something, but didn't know how to respond to that. He knew that he wasn't doing the best job, but he never thought that his daughter was resenting him for it. She had reassured both him and Jack, time after time, that she loved them both and wasn't angry with them for leaving her and Dallin at their grandparents'. Something must have changed in the last four years, though, because sure, her and John had always managed to get into fights, but this was different.

Ria regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth and her heart broke a little when she saw the hurt and guilty look on her father's face. Without hesitating, she threw her arms around his neck, snuggling as close to him as possible, her face in his hair. "I'm sorry, daddy, I didn't mean it." she mumbled, absently scratching her wrists.

Relief washed through John and he hugged the girl back, softly caressing her back, careful not to touch the cuts. He moved away after a moment, grabbing one of her arms when he spotted the sore skin. "Don't do that, baby." he sighed, kissing both her wrists before pulling her close again, placing another kiss on her forehead.

"Wasn't doing it on purpose." she muttered defensively, burying her face in his shirt. "Can I stay with you for the rest of the night?" she asked, looking up at him with big teary eyes.

"Sure-" he began, only to realise that he still had a guy in 'his' bed.

"Argo?" Ria grinned knowingly.

"Yeah." he admitted. "I'm gonna kick him out, it'll only take a second."

"Nice, dad." the girl laughed, ushering him out of the room. "Let him sleep." she ordered, walking back down to her own quarters.

Reluctantly, John followed her, hesitating in the bedroom door, raising an eyebrow at her.

"He won't mind." she shrugged, crawling on to the bed, motioning her father to follow.

With a resigning sigh, the Captain joined her and the girl immediately cuddled up to him, her head resting on his chest.

"Wha-?" came Tael's sleepy voice from the other side of the bed. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking confused for a second when he recognised John before shrugging and moving in to spoon Ria, nuzzling his head into her hair with a happy hum, one hand automatically resting on the Captain's stomach.

"Is this weird?" John asked with a grin, relaxing and sneaking his own arm under the alien's neck to find a comfortable position.

"Probably." Tael and Ria chuckled in unison, only causing all three of them to break out in laughter.

* * *

"What do you think?" Jack asked excitedly, pulling Ianto back into the entrance area.

They had spent the better part of the morning wandering through Jack's old house together with the immortal bouncing around, showing the younger man all the details and quirks of the place. Ianto had followed quietly, smiling at the Captain's enthusiasm. The house was perfect, a bit run down maybe, but it could definitely become a proper home to them.

"It's a little big, isn't it?" Ianto asked, running a hand along the banister. He had made up his mind as soon as he had set foot in the place, but taunting Jack was just too much fun.

"Do you know how much room a teenage girl needs?" Jack grinned, closing his arms around the younger man.

"Fair point." Ianto laughed, placing his own arms around the Captain's neck. "I love it." he smiled, making an extremely unmanly sound when Jack swept him off his feet and twirled him around the room before capturing his mouth in an affectionate kiss.

"I'm giving the attic to Ria." he smiled after moving back for air, still holding Ianto close.

"Why's that?"

"The skylight. I used to lie there for hours and look at the stars."

"She'd love that, yeah." the archivist smiled back. "What did she say about moving this far away from John, though?" he wondered, frowning when Jack refused to meet his eyes.

"About that..." the older man mumbled, coughing and looking down at his feet.

"You haven't told her yet, have you?" Ianto groaned, lifting Jack's chin, forcing him to look at him.

"No..." he admitted embarrassed, a goofy grin on his face. "I thought that, maybe, you could talk to her?!"

"Jack, I am not going to tell her to leave John behind." the archivist sighed and stepped away, running a hand through his hair.

"It's not like I'm trying to prevent her from seeing him. They'd just not be living together. She stays at your place all the time and John's not always there with her."

"Did you know that she sleeps in one of his shirts when he isn't around? They haven't spent more than two nights apart since she came home, Jack."

"She never seems to be upset when I'm not around." the Captain whispered sadly, playing with a button of his coat.

"That's what this is about? You really are an idiot!" Ianto laughed, unable to help himself. "She loves you just as much as John." he smiled when the other man raised an eyebrow at him. "You're the first one to get a kiss in the morning, every morning. She spends countless hours curled up on the couch in your office with you, reading while you pretend to work. She barely lets go of your hand whenever we go out. She randomly comes up to you and hugs you at least five times a day. She falls asleep in your lap and you have to carry her to bed on a regular basis. She cries every single time you get hurt and bugs the hell out of all of us to watch out for you next time and not let you be a bloody idiot. And don't forget that she punched John in the face for you once." he added with a grin.

"Well, if you put it like that..." Jack said sheepishly.

"The only reason she hurts more if John isn't around is because she knows that she is all he's got."

"What if he moves in here with us?" the immortal suggested. "I mean, he doesn't have a place of his own, he's been staying at the hub or your place ever since he decided to stay."

"You want to live with your ex?" Ianto raised an eyebrow at him.

"All I want is my family, Yan. I've had so many chances at this and I blew every single one of them. But this time I want to make it work, because you are worth it." Jack smiled, once again pulling the younger man close, cupping his cheek with one hand. "I am not letting you go, you've become an essential part of my life, my heart, my everything. And no matter if I like it or not, John is Ria's father and you're right, I couldn't separate them. But if you are not okay with this solution, we'll find something else. I want to make it right by my daughter and you, because I couldn't stand losing either one of you."

"Just to make one thing clear; I am not cleaning up after him. And you're explaining this to my sister." Ianto grinned before closing the distance between them, pressing his lips to Jack's.

* * *

"What is so important that you wake us up at such an ungodly hour? On a Saturday, nonetheless!" John complained, appearing behind Ianto together with Ria, making the man jump.

"It's almost noon." Jack pointed out, chuckling at the sight of the two of them, looking like they had just fallen out of bed. Which was technically true, since Ianto had woken them up with his phone call only 10 minutes earlier.

"And where are we?" the girl wanted to know, placing a quick kiss on the immortal's cheek before burying her face in his chest, yawning loudly.

Jack looked at Ianto, searching for help, but the younger man simply shook his head. This was something _he_ had to do. With a sigh, he stepped back and turned his daughter around so she was facing the house. "Your possible new home, if you say yes."

"I'm not going anywhere without daddy!" Ria exclaimed immediately, shooting John a scared look.

"We know, sweetheart." the immortal smiled, placing his hands on her shoulders. "That's why he's here too."

"Wait, _what_?" John asked, still not fully awake, looking from Jack to Ianto.

"We would like you to move in here with us, John. You are Ria's father and part of this weird little family." Ianto smiled.

What followed was a tense moment of silence with John and Ria having one of their quiet conversations, before a grin spread across the girl's face and the Captain began to laugh.

Confused, Ianto looked at Jack who just shrugged, not sure if this was good or bad either.

"Three grown men and a teenage girl? The neighbours will love us." John finally smirked, holding a hand out to his daughter, walking away into the house with her.

"That's a yes, right?"

"Yeah." Jack smiled happily, sneaking a hand around Ianto's waist and placing a kiss on his temple before following the two of them, the younger man close by his side.

* * *

**A/N:** As usual, please tell me what you thought about the chapter. Until next time!**  
**


	27. Interlude V - Emotions

**A/N: **First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who wrote a review, favourited my story etc. You guys are the best!

I won't be able to post a full chapter on Sunday, I have a shitload of work to do for school and work's being a bitch too. But that's why I'm putting up two interlude chapters today and early next week. And then I'll be back with regular updates the Sunday after that.

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** The rest of the team gets cosy with each other.

* * *

**Warnings:** nothing particular (I think)

* * *

**Interlude V - Emotions**

"Gwen?" Rhys called out, closing the apartment door behind himself. "Are you all right, love?"

"Bathroom."

"Would you _please_ tell me what is going on?" the man asked, throwing his jacket on the sofa. Gwen had called him in the middle of the day, but refused to tell him anything over the phone. So he had dropped everything - as usual when that bloody woman needed something - and driven home like a mad man. Letting out a frustrated groan when he didn't get an answer, he pushed open the door and stepped into their bedroom. "It's Torchwood related, isn't it? Bloody Torchwood!" he muttered, crossing the room and opening the bathroom door.

"What did he do this time?" Rhys sighed, hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow at his wife. Every time she got all cryptical and quiet, Captain bloody Harkness had something to do with it.

"Nothing."

"That's a change!" he grinned, sitting down on the edge of the tub next to her. "What is it, then?"

Gwen finally looked up at her husband, a smile spreading across her face. "This!" she said excitedly, holding a plastic stick out to him.

"What...?" Rhys gasped, taking it from her. "But...there are...it is..."

"YES!" she laughed, throwing her arms around the stunned man.

"We're having a baby?"

"Yes, dumbo."

"That's fantastic!" he exclaimed with a happy grin that immediately turned into a frown. "Wait, it's not an alien again, is it?"

"No, it's all yours." Gwen smiled, placing a sweet kiss on his lips.

{oOo}

"What about Idris?" Rhys asked, looking down at Gwen, her head lying in his lap.

"Definitely not! Ianto'd kill me." she laughed, causing him to frown at her. "Long story. Besides, it's going to be a girl anyway."

"Oh yeah? How do you know?"

"Wishful thinking." Gwen smirked, earning herself a playful slap on the arm. "Fine, if the universe wants to punish me and sends me a little copy of you, what about Lloyd?"

"After your granddad? I like it." Rhys smiled. "Hey, so, if it's a girl, how about Bre..."

"No!" the woman quickly interrupted him, sitting up. "We are not naming our child after your mother!"

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" he defended himself.

"What were you going to say, then?"

"All right, I was going to say Brenda. But it's a nice name!"

"Still, no."

"You make a suggestion, then!" he laughed, pulling her close again.

"Let's see..." Gwen mused, settling against her husband again. "Teagan?"

"No way! This terrible girl in my kindergarten class was called Teagan. I like Seren."

"Reminds me of mermaids." Gwen shuddered, causing them both to giggle.

"Do you remember the girl who introduced us? After I was too much of a chicken to come over and say hello at Banana Boat's party?" Rhys broke the silence after a while.

"That is perfect!"

"Little Anwen." Rhys smiled, softly caressing Gwen's belly.

* * *

Shifting from one foot to the other, Owen waited for the door to be opened. He was about to turn around and leave when it sprang open, a surprised Toshiko staring at him.

"Owen?" she asked confused, looking over his shoulder to see if Ianto and Gwen were with him, frowning when they weren't. Not one of their movie nights, then.

"Can I come in?"

"Ehh...yes, sure." she smiled, stepping aside.

They awkwardly stood in the hallway for a a moment, Tosh thinking about offering him a drink before remembering how pointless that would be.

"So, are you here for a particular reason, or...?"

"Can't I just come over to hang out?"

"You could, but you usually don't."

"All right, fine." Owen sighed, setting his bag down on the coffee table. "I need your help."

"What with?" Tosh asked excitedly, sitting down on the sofa next to him. Sure, she would have preferred him to come and visit for a whole other reason, but if he actually needed her for one of his experiments, it was bound to be exciting.

"Where should I even begin?" the doctor sighed.

{oOo}

"This is incredible!" Tosh beamed, flipping through the pages with the results from Owen's self-experiments. "And they were able to heal your hand?"

"Good as new." he nodded, showing her the hand, the cut completely gone.

"What are you waiting for?" she frowned, setting the papers down.

"I'm scared." Owen admitted, grinning sheepishly. "If I've made a mistake or miscalculation...well, you know what could happen."

"I'm sure you did everything correctly." she smiled reassuringly, taking his hand, squeezing it.

The doctor smiled back at her, even though he couldn't feel the gesture. "That's where you come in. I need you to go over everything, see if things add up."

"This is hardly my area of expertise..." Tosh protested, but he quickly waved her concerns aside.

"If there's anyone able to help me with this, it's you, Tosh." he smiled fondly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "Just try, please? It can't hurt now, can it?" he added with a slight grin.

"Fine." the woman smiled back, unable to turn down the chance to have a closer look at those nanogenes.

"You're a gem!" he said, placing a brief kiss on her cheek.

"Don't mention it." Tosh mumbled, blushing furiously.

"If...no, _when_ this works out, we'll have that date I promised you, yeah?" Owen smiled, noticing not for the first time how cute his co-worker looked when she turned all red. "It's the least I can do."

"You don't owe me anything, Owen..."

"On the contrary; I owe you everything." he said honestly, pulling her into a hug, resting his head on top of hers.


	28. Interlude VI - My New Family

**Chapter Summary:** Jack, John, Ianto and Ria make a very unusual family - but who cares, right?

* * *

**Warnings:** nothing apart from the usual swearing

* * *

**Interlude VI - My New Family**

"Where do you want these?" Jack asked, carrying a stack of boxes into the house, followed by John who had a carton with Ianto's artificial Christmas tree under one arm.

"Put everything in one of the empty rooms, I'll sort through it later." Ianto instructed them, unpacking and tidying away the kitchenware, with Ria sitting on the counter, drying off the glasses and plates he had rinsed earlier.

"What's that for?" the girl frowned, indicating at the tree. "I thought gay guys were supposed to be good at this interior design shit?" she grinned at John.

"Language!" Jack said, warningly raising an eyebrow, only causing her to dramatically roll her eyes.

"Stop stereotyping me." John grinned back. "She's right though." he added, looking at Ianto. "What the hell do we need a fake tree for?"

"It's almost Christmas, in case you forgot." the archivist said, earning himself a confused look from both John and Ria. "What? You don't celebrate Christmas in the future?" he laughed but fell silent again when they both shook their heads, turning to Jack.

"The one with the presents, shiny lights and the big dude in red." the immortal said, sounding like it wasn't the first tradition he had to explain to them.

"Oh yeah, Christianity, birth of the son of God and all that, sure. It's been a while." John shrugged.

"A while since what?" Ianto mused.

"Since I've been in school and had a teacher bore me with it."

"Religion isn't very big in the colonies of the 51st century." Jack threw in, chuckling at the dumbstruck expression on his lover's face.

"You've been living in '_this time_' for over 150 years and you never once celebrated Christmas with anyone?"

"I used to with..." the older Captain began, but stopped himself. "Not in a very long time." he smiled, trying hard not to let anyone see the hurt in his eyes, but all three of them picked up on it, both John and Ria seeming to understand what he was referring to, sharing a concerned glance.

"Well, then we're going to start with it this year!" Ianto stated, placing his hands on Jack's hips, pulling him close. "I had to get used to your family traditions, you'll have to get used to mine."

"Is this about the guns again?" John groaned and Ria giggled.

"That's no way to inaugurate a house!" Ianto snapped, remembering very well why he had put a 'No firing any kind of weapons inside the house unless it is an emergency!' rule in effect.

"Stop it!" Jack warned and John held his hands up in defence, rolling his eyes as soon as the other man had turned away again. "New family, new traditions." the immortal smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Ianto's lips.

* * *

"_Dad?_" Ria yelled down from the attic. "_Some help?_"

"In a second." Jack shouted back, holding one side of a huge new closet, while John was leaning against it from the other side, holding it in place while Ianto screwed everything together.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" both Captains asked in unison, sharing an amused look when the archivist rolled his eyes.

"How do you know which one of you she's calling? She yells 'dad' from somewhere in the house and you always know which one of you she's referring to."

"We just do." John shrugged.

"Yeah, I've never really thought about it before." Jack agreed.

"Of course you haven't." Ianto chuckled, stepping away from the piece of furniture. "I think we'll manage from here, why don't you go see what she wants?" he smiled at Jack, who quickly scrambled away, glad to get out of the rest of the work. "And no, she can't paint any other rooms black, it's bad enough that she's doing it with her own one." he yelled after his lover.

{oOo}

A fond smile on his face, Ianto stood at the top of the stairs to Ria's room, peeking through the slightly ajar door.

"Full of surprises, isn't he?" John smiled, walking up behind him, watching Jack and their daughter over Ianto's shoulder.

"At least this one's positive. The last one was a maniac ex-boyfriend." the archivist teased, a grin playing on his lips.

"Shut up, you love me." John smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm not even sure I like you. It's more a state of having gotten used to you." the younger man said challengingly.

"So you make out with all of Jack's randomly appearing exes?" the Captain taunted, earning himself a light kick to the shin.

"I just made up my mind; I hate you." Ianto said, trying hard to hide his grin.

"Sure you do." the other man winked.

They continued to watch in silence, the immortal finishing up painting a purple planet with three deep blue rings above the skylight while the girl was in the middle of adding a second moon to a smaller, light blue one.

"I had no idea he enjoyed drawing." Ianto sighed, realising again how little he still knew about his lover.

"Don't worry, you'll get there." John smiled, placing an arm around the other man's shoulders, pulling him close. "Planets of the Titan Nebula." he started to explain, trying to cheer him up, knowing he enjoyed hearing about all the 'mystical and exciting far away places'. "The big purple one is Ilos, that's where I grew up. Never rains, it's the complete opposite of Wales."

"I enjoy the rain." the archivist smiled, leaning into the older man. "It's hard to picture you as a kid." he chuckled.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I was an absolute delight!"

"Yeah, I'll make sure to ask your parents about that the next time they come by."

With a snort, John moved away from the younger man, leaning against the wall.

"What happened between you guys?" Ianto asked shyly, seeing the Captain tense.

"What are you, my psychiatrist?" he snapped, rubbing his face.

"Sorry." Ianto whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it softly.

Silence fell between them again, broken a few minutes later when Ria ran her hands, dripping with paint, through the immortals hair, causing him to shriek before returning the gesture, splashing some of his own paint in her face.

"I never had that kind of relationship with my parents." John sighed sadly.

"What about the rest of your family? You have brothers, don't you?"

"There's Michael, haven't seen him in years. We were never close, he's 13 years older than me and was off to the Academy before I was even born. It's the same with Chris, he left a year after Michael. Robert and Ben are okay, I guess. We talk sometimes. Daniel has always been an arrogant little shit, never liked him. And then there's Matt." the Captain smiled, the love for this particular brother clearly visible in his eyes.

"You have _six_ brothers?" Ianto gasped, eyes wide.

"Six older brothers."

"Holy shit!"

"Tell me about it." John grinned.

They were startled by a sudden crash from inside the room and shared a confused look.

Fearing the worst, Ianto pushed open the door, breaking out in laughter at the sight in front of him. Jack was lying on the floor with the girl sitting on his chest, smirking down at him while calmly painting his face.

"Why does it have to be pink?" the immortal complained, tickling her stomach in an attempt to get her to stop.

"That's cheating!" Ria laughed and jumped up, spotting the two men in the door, a mischievous smile starting to spread across her face.

"Don't you dare!" Ianto warned, quickly hiding behind John just as a paint stained cloth flew into the younger Captain's face.

"Just remember that you started this." he grinned, charging at his daughter, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. Looking around for a moment, he spotted an abandoned brush, grabbed it and began to paint her bare feet, making her giggle uncontrollably.

"She started it." Jack grinned goofily, looking at Ianto with big eyes, pulling him close.

"You're dirty." the archivist complained, trying to sneak his way out of the arms holding him.

"Oh yeah!" the immortal grinned, wiggling his eyebrows before capturing the other man's mouth in a kiss.

With a sigh, Ianto gave in, cupping Jack's wet cheek and returning the kiss, thinking about a very appealing way of how to get clean later.

* * *

"I still don't get it." Ria frowned, fighting with a pack of completely tangled Christmas lights.

"Should I start again?" Ianto laughed, watching her struggle.

"Please no." she groaned, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I get the story and all, but I never took you for the religious type."

"I am not. Not really." he shrugged, taking the lights away from her and starting to put them on the tree.

"Why are we celebrating Christmas, then?" the girl demanded, tilting her head to one side. "Why is this so important to you?"

"It's not."

"Liar!"

"Fine, it is." Ianto sighed, holding out his hand.

"Why?" Ria wondered, handing him the first ornament, a beautiful dark blue ball with a delicate golden pattern.

"Because...it's complicated."

They continued working in silence, both of them taking a few steps back and looking at their work once they had finished.

"It looks nice." Ria smiled at the man, frowning at the sad expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"When I was a boy, Christmas was the best time of the year. Not because of the presents, even though they were pretty cool too." he chuckled, closing his arms around the girl's waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "On Christmas, the family came together, all of us, my parents, Rhiannon, my grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. Everyone. We shared stories and laughed, just enjoying being with each other."

"That sounds wonderful." the girl smiled, leaning back against him. "Why does it make you sad?"

Ianto hesitated, chewing on his lower lip for a moment. "Does Jack have any other children? A family of some sort? Anyone?"

"Yan, this isn't something I'm supposed to tell."

"Please? Just yes or no?"

"Not anymore." Ria sighed, sounding incredibly sorrowful.

"What happened?" Ianto tried, feeling her tense a little in his arms. "Please, sweetheart." he added in a whisper, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I never met them, they died long before my time, some when in the end of the 1980s." she began, feeling guilty for telling, but also relieved to help Ianto understand the immortal a little better. "When dad realised that he was stuck for good, he thought the best thing to do was settle down. He found himself a wife, Emily, and they got married rather quickly. Jack's usual free spirited life style wasn't really appropriate back then, I guess." she grinned and Ianto had to chuckle at the idea of Jack trying to fit in to 19th century social norms. "They had two children, Carson and Jack Jr. Dad was happy for a while, but little Jack was weak and sickly. Nothing unusual for that time, but it was eating away on dad for more than the obvious reasons. With all his futuristic knowledge, there was nothing he could do to help little Jack, he had to watch him get worse and eventually die. He was just over four years old at that point."

"I had no idea..." Ianto murmured, now clinging to Ria, a huge lump in his throat.

"Emily didn't take it very well, she fell into a deep depression and passed away only a year after little Jack."

"Oh my god." Ianto choked out, having a very hard time to hold back his tears. This explained so much. Of course he had known that Jack had lived for a long time, but it had never occurred to him how being stuck in a certain time with the technology of that certain time must have affected a man from the future. Being so utterly helpless, it must have caused him unimaginable pain and suffering.

"Carson, 10 by that point, blamed dad for Emily's death. In his mind, dad should have done more, tried harder to help her. Which was impossible, of course, but try explaining that to a grieving child. Carson insisted on going away for school and the two of them grew further apart. At first, Carson came home for the holidays but as he grew older, the visits became fewer until in the end they stopped completely. Dad didn't see Carson for the next twenty or so years and when he bumped into him on accident one time in London, he pretended not to know him, referring to his own father as a confused old man. Their next encounter was Carson's funeral, another ten years later."

"Excuse me." Ianto choked out, quickly walking out of the living room and into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and closing his eyes.

"Yan? Are you all right?" Jack asked concerned when he entered the kitchen a couple of minutes later, spotting the drying tears on his lover's cheeks.

Without a warning, Ianto threw his arms around the immortal's neck, pulling him as close as possible, burying his face in the older man's hair.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jack wanted to know, hugging the distraught man back, softly stroking his back.

"I love you." the younger man whispered with a small smile before pressing his lips to Jack's in an emotional kiss.


	29. Will We Be Fine?

**A/N: **As promised, things start to get a bit darker in this chapter. And we're in nearing the end of the story, there are around 5 chapters left. But there will be a sequel, I have it all ready in my mind. If people are interested. But for now, enjoy this new chapter!**  
**

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** John and Dorian are far from fine.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, smut and slash, attempted suicide, drug use

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three - Will We Be Fine?**

"Where's your father?" Jack asked, placing a glass of scotch on the coffee table before sitting down on the sofa.

They had been working on the house for the last three weeks, every day after work and this Friday was their first night off. Which he was glad about, because he was exhausted. There had been countless smaller rift alerts the last few days, most of them turning out to be weevils. After the fourth one being exceptionally aggressive - even for weevil standards - Owen and Toshiko had concluded that it must be mating season, the hormones causing them to be stronger than usual. Ianto had taken a pretty bad blow just a couple hours earlier, which had led to a huge fight between him and the immortal. Jack had accused him of being careless to go out hunting with his cracked ribs. Ianto, in turn, had yelled at the Captain to stop treating him like a child. Their argument had been ended by Gwen, stepping up between them, agreeing with the immortal that Ianto should take better care of himself and with the archivist that Jack needed to have more confidence in the younger man.

John had taken the opportunity to sneak out of the hub without having to explain where he was going, though Jack had a suspicion as to where he was roving about.

"Out with Argo." the girl grumbled, flipping through the channels.

"Again?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow at his daughter. John was spending a lot of time with the barkeeper recently, staying out until the early hours of the morning and sleeping until lunch, turning up at the hub whenever he felt like it. Granted, he wasn't an official employee, but he had enjoyed helping out and being around Jack, Ianto and especially Dorian. For the last couple of days, though, the girl had barely seen her father and whenever he was around, he was tense, restless and edgy.

"Yes, again." she barked annoyed, turning up the volume.

"Don't worry about John, I'm sure he's fine." he lied, shooting her a reassuring smile.

"Whatever." she hissed, refusing to look at her father.

"Have I done something?" the immortal sighed, starting to get the feeling that Ria was in a little bit more than just a bad mood.

"Have you talked to Yan?"

"That's what this is about? Thought you would be with me on this one." Jack groaned, picking up his glass, emptying it in one big gulp.

"I'm on nobody's side, I just don't like it when you fight!" the girl snapped at him, throwing the remote aside and storming off to her room, loudly slamming the door shut.

"What was that about?" Ianto wanted to know, emerging from the bathroom when he heard the commotion.

"Not quite sure yet." the Captain smiled apologetically, following his daughter.

* * *

"Come on!" John grinned, dashing down a side street, Argo a few steps behind him.

"Slow down, will you?" the younger man panted, barely able to keep up.

"I have no intention of going to jail, hurry up!" the Captain groaned, taking his hand and pulling him along.

They took a right turn, entering a smaller alleyway where John pushed Argo into the dark entrance of a house, holding one hand over his mouth, motioning him to be quiet.

Trying to steady his own breathing, John listened for a sign of their pursuers, a satisfied smile spreading across his face when he couldn't hear anything. "We're clear."

"_Are you fucking crazy?_" Argo barked as soon as he had removed the hand from his face, shoving the older man away from himself.

"They were trying to rip you off." John shrugged unimpressed.

"They are fucking drug dealers, what did you expect?"

"I'm not taking shit from anyone, you get that?" the Captain asked in a low voice, grabbing the front of Argo's shirt, pressing him against the nearest wall.

"Is that so?" the barkeeper smirked, his eyes glistening dangerously, one hand moving down to John's junk.

"Yeah." John grinned, starting to open Argo's jacket. "Too bad we didn't have time to grab the stuff before the coppers showed up."

"About that..." Argo grinned back, producing a little plastic bag from his trouser pocket.

"You little shit!" John laughed, trying to snatch it away from him, but the other man was too fast, quickly hiding it behind his back.

"What can I say? You bring the worst out in me." he smirked, opening the button of John's pants, sneaking a hand inside.

"To think that I bought your shy guy act at first." the Captain chuckled, nibbling on the younger man's neck while pulling him out of his jacket.

"And you're not too bad at playing father and family man."

"This has nothing to do with them!" John snapped, turning dead serious. "Leave them out of it!"

"Fine, whatever. Keep living your double life, it's not my problem."

"Damn right it isn't!"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're kind of moody?" Argo grinned, taking two yellow pills out of the little bag, swallowing one while teasingly playing with the other one, slapping John's hand away when he tried to grab it from him. Never breaking eye contact with the Captain, he placed it on his tongue, seductively raising an eyebrow.

Grabbing the barkeeper's neck, John pulled him into a hard kiss, fishing for the pill and grinning victoriously when he managed to snatch it. "Turn around." he ordered and Argo complied, pushing down his pants and turning to face the wall, slightly spreading his legs. Grabbing his hips, John pressed into him, causing him to hiss and scratch the wall before relaxing and moving back against him.

"Good boy." John whispered against his ear, jerking his hips forward, making the younger man cry out with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

* * *

"Can I come in?" Jack asked, carefully opening the door to his daughter's room a crack.

"_Piss off!_" the girl barked, sitting on the floor between unpacked boxes and pieces of furniture that still had to be put together, hugging a stuffed fox to her chest.

"You still have that?" the immortal smiled, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. Her and Dallin had found it one day when they were about two years old, lying outside in the mud. They had refused to let him throw it out, so John had washed it - a couple of times and with an extra amount of detergent - and they had played with it for years before forgetting about it. It must have been among the things Leo and Siger had sent her after hearing about the move.

"Go away." Ria sighed, burying her face in the fluffy animal.

"Talk to me, lun'â." he said softly, sitting down opposite her, placing one hand on her knee, stroking it with his thumb.

"Please don't fight."

"It was just a little argument, it's going to be fine." Jack smiled, lifting her chin up.

Not saying anything, the girl shook off his hand and looked down at her feet, tears starting to roll down her face.

"What's this really about?" he asked concerned, cupping her cheek, forcing her to look at him again.

"Everything..." she choked out and started to sob.

Jack understood and didn't hesitate for a second, closing his arms around the trembling girl. "I got you, sweetheart, it's going to be all right." he soothed, rocking them both back and forth, softly running his hands up and down her back.

"I wish I was dead." Ria whispered, the defeat clearly audible in her voice.

Jack's blood ran cold and he pulled his daughter even closer, tears stinging in his own eyes now. Of course they had all known that she was far from fine, but she had been unwilling to let anyone help her, vehemently refusing to try and come to terms with the past four years. She had been her usual self for most of the time, fooling them into believing that she was dealing with her issues, but they should have known better. Of course she couldn't handle this on her own, but Jack had no idea how to help. "You don't mean that." he finally said, pressing his face into her hair.

"It hurts, dad." she wept. "I'm tired, I can't do it anymore."

The immortal was at a loss for words, cradling the girl in his arms. After a moment of consideration he picked her up, carrying her back down to the living room.

"What's going on?" Ianto asked concerned at the sight of the unresponsive girl in the immortal's arms.

"We're going back to the hub, I need Owen. Call John." Jack ordered, already walking out to the car.

* * *

John threw his head back in pleasure before pulling the man on top of him down for a kiss, roughly biting his lower lip, making him yelp.

"That hurt, you pisser!" Argo hissed.

"Make me stop." the Captain smirked, grabbing the man's hips in a way sure to leave bruises, pushing himself further into him.

"God..." the barkeeper moaned, moving harder against the man beneath him, leaving bloody scratch marks along his sides.

Enjoying the pain, John sat up, careful not to lose contact with Argo and reached over to the bedside table. "Give me your arm." he instructed, placing a small, round device on it, trying to avoid the wounds from their previous adventures, repeating the process on himself. As soon as it touched his skin, four thin needles filled with brightly coloured liquids shot out into his arm and a wave of warm desire flooded through his whole body. He pushed Argo down on the bed, tightly holding the younger man's hands over his head, placing kisses along his neck and jaw, waiting for the flash he knew was to come.

When it finally hit him, everything turned brighter, colours dancing around him, making his head spin in the best way possible. Everything he usually worried about flooded away and the only thing remaining was the man beneath him, looking up at him with his mouth slightly open, pure want in his eyes.

"John..." Argo breathed, running his hands through the Captain's curls, pulling him down and pressing their lips together. "Fuck me!" he whispered between kisses.

"It would be my pleasure." the Captain smirked, losing himself in the moment, ignoring his ringing phone until it went to voicemail.

* * *

"What the hell took you so long?" Ianto snapped at John as soon as the cog door closed behind him.

"Bad traffic."

"Bullshit! Besides, you have a teleportation device!"

"Whatever..." the Captain slurred, almost tripping over some cables, grabbing the side of Gwen's desk just in time.

"Are you all right?" the archivist asked, his anger momentarily replaced with worry. The other man looked like shit, he noticed, running his eyes over him. There were multiple scratches on his face and bruises on both wrists. His trademark jacket was missing and the rest of his clothes were filthy and torn. "What happened to you?" he demanded, grabbing one of his arms to be able to take a closer look at it.

"Nuthn...I'm great."

"Look at me!" Ianto ordered, cupping his cheek with his free hand, staring at the widened pupils. "What are you on?"

"...'m just tired..." John tried to defend himself, barely able to stand on his own.

"And what are those?" the younger man demanded angrily, indicating at several puncture marks on the Captain's arm.

"Just tell me why I'm here." he groaned, rubbing his temples in a feeble attempt to get rid of a violent headache.

"I've already told you." Ianto barked, having a very hard time to keep his voice low.

"When?"

"On the phone!"

"I don't remember..." John giggled, hopping onto the desk, throwing most of the files on it to the floor in the process.

"For crying out loud!" Ianto yelled, finally losing his patience, slapping the older man across the face. "Your daughter needs you, straighten the fuck up!" he hissed and turned around to head back to the recovery room. He was stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist.

"Please don't tell Jack." John pleaded, starting to realise what was happening around him.

"Don't tell me what?" the immortal demanded tensely, walking towards the other two men.

"That he's high." Ianto grunted and quickly left the two of them alone, not in the mood for the argument that was sure to follow.

"Talk!" Jack said once Ianto had left, his voice unusually calm.

The other Captain opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it, waving Jack's question aside.

"You managed for the last 18 years, why now?" Jack sighed.

"Hell, I don't know!" John groaned, lying down on Gwen's desk, covering his face with his hands.

"Since when?"

"About three weeks."

"What?"

"Zydrate and Onyx."

"Not again-"

"It's just for fun, I am not a fucking addict anymore, Jack!" John yelled angrily, jumping up and tripping over his own feet.

With a quick stride, Jack closed the distance between them, catching the falling man before he could hit the floor. "Prove it."

"Don't order me around-"

"Listen to me very carefully now." the immortal said, his tone dangerous and threatening. "You have one very simple decision to make; you either stop this right here, right now, or you are going to leave. You are _not_ staying around my daughter as long as you use this stuff. I've helped you kick it once before, for the sake of the twins and you know I'll do it again. But one chance is all you get. No slip ups, no excuses, nothing. If I catch you in such a state again, I'm _personally_ going to make sure they'll lock you up again. For good this time."

"You wouldn't do that..." John whispered scared, burying his face in Jack's chest, feeling dizzy.

"Between Dorian and you, who do you think I'd choose?" Jack asked, cupping the younger Captain's face, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

"I love you, Jack." John slurred again. "And Ianto, I love him too." he groaned, pressing a sloppy kiss to the immortal's lips.

"Please, try and focus." Jack sighed, pulling back, critically watching the other man take a few careful steps.

"Got it." John said, stumbling down to the recovery room where Ianto and Owen were quietly talking, glowering at him when he entered, the doctor looking extremely pissed while the archivist watched him with a disappointed expression on his face. But the Captain didn't notice any of that, his full attention on the girl lying on one of the beds, white as a sheet, dark black rings under her eyes, curled up around her childhood toy. With a few quick strides he crossed the room and slipped under the covers next to her, protectively wrapping himself around her, pressing his lips to her forehead, whispering something the others couldn't hear.

Shaking her head, Ria nuzzled herself against her father, tears starting to roll down her cheeks again.

"What's he saying?" Owen whispered to Ianto when John switched to commonspeak, softly running a hand through her hair.

"That he's going to make her better again, no matter what. That he loves her, that she's everything to him. And that he's going to kill whoever's behind all this." the archivist translated, turning around when he felt Jack's hand on his back, smiling up at him and placing a quick kiss on his lips.

"For fuck's sake!" Owen groaned, bringing the two men back to the events around them.

John was lying on the floor, convulsing, his face twisted in pain. The doctor was already sitting next to him, trying to calm him down. "I can't do anything, I have no idea what kind of shit he's been taking."

"Just hold him still, it's going to be over in a minute." Jack said, kneeling down beside them, grabbing the other Captain's flailing arms.

"We can't leave him like that, he's-" Owen started to protest, but sure enough, the man on the floor relaxed, staring up at them with a confused look on his face.

He opened his mouth to say something just as Jack's fist connected with his face, followed by a crack and cry of pain.

Without thinking, John lunged at the immortal, throwing him to the ground, burying his teeth in his shoulder. "You broke my fucking my nose!"

"You deserved it!" Jack yelled back, kicking him away.

John was about to jump at him again when he was distracted by a whimper. His stomach clenched and he looked over at his daughter, now standing next to the bed, looking between her fathers, unsure about what to do.

Jack realised what they had done a moment later, silently cursing himself for losing control like that. He quickly stood up and reached out towards the girl who took a step back, pulling her arm away from him.

"We're all right, baby." John tried to reassure her, using another bed to pull himself up. But he got the same reaction as the immortal when he tried to get closer to the girl, who looked completely lost, still clutching the stuffed fox in one hand.

Ria stared at her fathers, not sure if to hug and comfort or slap them. In the end she decided that it didn't matter, that nothing mattered. With a thump, she let herself fall back on the bed and turned away, curling up into a ball, trembling when the tears started to flow again.

"Well done." Owen hissed, ushering John over to the med bay to have a look at his nose.

Ianto sat down on the edge of the bed, softly stroking Ria's back, trying to calm her down.

"Sweetheart, I-" Jack began, walking over to them.

"Get out!" the archivist barked, shooting him a deadly look.

The immortal stood there for a few moments, mouth hanging open, trying to find something to say. When he couldn't, he turned around with a sigh and made his way up to his office.

Turning back to the girl, Ianto carefully rolled her onto her back, smiling down at her. "Do you need me to get you something?" he asked, starting to brush the tears away from her cheeks. "How about some comfy clothes?" he suggested when she didn't say anything. She was still wearing her everyday things, including the combat boots. "And Benedict?" he added, earning himself a small smile and a nod from the girl. Pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, he got up and left to get the promised items.

Propping herself up on her elbows, Ria scanned the floor where the two Captains had been fighting a couple of minutes earlier. There was a puddle of John's blood, slowly spreading across the floor, a small plastic bag lying inside it. Frowning, the girl got up and picked it up, studying the pills inside it, a tiny 'Z' engraved into each one. Recognising what she was holding, she hesitated for a moment before emptying the contents of the bag into her hand, rolling one of the pills around between her fingers, quickly calculating how many she'd need. With a sigh, she popped them into her mouth, quickly swallowing all four, hiding the bag on the bottom of a trash can before sitting back down on the bed, already starting to feel drowsy. With a lot of difficulty she managed to get rid of her boots before settling back under the covers and closing her eyes. A smile spread across her face at the prospect of falling asleep for the last time, peacefully drifting away without ever coming back to the pain again.

* * *

"Seriously?" Ianto groaned when he saw the two Captains standing in a corner of the recovery room, holding each other close, John's head resting in the crook of Jack's neck while the immortal softly scratched the back of the younger man's head.

"Try ignoring them, it helps." Owen grumbled, reading the temperature on the thermometer he had just pulled out of Ria's ear. "She has a light fever."

"She's been sickly all week." Jack threw in, still hugging John, who didn't seem to be entirely conscious.

"How long has she been asleep for?" the archivist wondered, setting Benedict and the clothes down on the bed next to her. "She didn't seem sleepy when I left."

"She must be exhausted." Owen said, looking at the girl worriedly. "You have to find her a therapist or something."

"Even if we could convince her to talk about it, where would we find someone who'd believe it?" Ianto sighed, sitting down next to the rumeen, frowning at the little creature when it started to lick the girl's face.

"Maybe Tael can help. He knows people." Jack suggested, carefully helping John down the stairs and onto one of the other beds, shooting his lover a 'We will talk about this later.' look when he raised an eyebrow at the immortal's sudden change of heart concerning the younger Captain.

"Okay, will someone shut that thing up?!" Owen complained, glowering at Benedict, who was now screeching furiously, biting and pulling Ria's fingers.

"What's wrong with you?" Ianto wondered, shooing the animal away, brushing his hand over the girl's in the process. "She's burning up!" he exclaimed surprised, placing a hand on her forehead. He moved the blanket away from her in an attempt to cool her down, momentarily freezing when he saw her chest. "I don't think she's breathing!" he yelled, leaning down, his ear close to her mouth.

Jack and Owen were at the archivist's side in a heartbeat, the immortal taking her hand to measure her pulse while the doctor moved a scanner over her body.

"I can't feel anything!" Jack cried, pulling one of her eyes open.

"Her vitals are low. _Shit!_" Owen cursed, jumping up to retrieve a device from one of the cabinets. "Move away!" he barked and the two men complied, stepping back, simultaneously reaching out to grab the other's hand.

"What the hell is happening?" John demanded, appearing next to them, his voice panicked.

"Shut up!" the doctor hissed, moving her shirt out of the way and placing the metal square on her chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Shut up, John!" Owen repeated, pushing a series of buttons on the device, causing it to start glowing and buzzing. With a loud noise, sounding almost like a shot, Ria's body started to twitch and she sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open.

"Why'd you wake me?" she mumbled groggily, falling back on the bed.

"Because you were dying!" the doctor said relieved, removing the device and scanning her again.

"That was the point..." the girl slurred, barely able to keep her eyes open.

Dumbfounded and stunned, the four men stared at her, trying to process her words. It was Owen who first found his voice again, now in full doctor mode.

"Look at me." he ordered, lightly slapping her cheek when her eyes fell shut again.

"Stop..." Ria complained, trying to swat his hand away.

"What did you do?"

"I want to sleep!" she whined, obviously not fully aware of what was going on.

"You can, as soon as you tell me what you did." Owen promised, reading the scanner's results.

"Zydrate."

Three pairs of furious eyes wandered over to John, who was staring at his daughter, nervously looking through all his pockets, trying to find the little bag.

"What the hell did you do?" Jack barked, barely able to keep himself from punching the man again.

"Nothing! I must have lost it when we were fighting!"

"How many?"

"Three, maybe four." the younger Captain groaned, running his hands through his hair.

"I'm tired..." Ria said, rolling onto her side, pulling the blanket over herself.

"Stay with me for a little longer, sweetheart." Owen smiled at her, placing one hand on her cheek, stroking it softly in order to prevent her from falling asleep. "What am I supposed to do? I don't know anything about this stuff."

"Right...adrenaline!" Jack said, joining him by the bedside. "It'll fight the drug's effects."

"Liquids too." John piped up, earning himself another round of angry glares.

* * *

"Everything looks stable now." Owen sighed, flopping down in a chair.

Ria was sleeping deeply despite the adrenaline, totally knocked out by the drugs. The doctor had been reluctant to allow her to rest, but the Captains had assured him that it was safe. He had placed a portable scanner around her wrist to be able to monitor her vitals and the immortal had insisted on a deadlock to make sure the girl wouldn't just get rid of it as soon as she woke up.

"That's a relief." Ianto sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Jack, who was stroking his daughter's hand, careful to avoid the IV needle. Taking the Captain's other hand, he gently squeezed it, placing a kiss on his temple before resting his head on his shoulder.

"You should leave." Jack spoke up for the first time in quite a while, staring at John with an expression that would have caused a lot of people to run and hide.

"_What?_" the other Captain demanded, sitting on the floor on the other side of the room, not daring to go near them, even though he desperately wanted to hold his baby girl.

"You heard me perfectly well!"

"I'm not going anywhere!"

"You almost killed my daughter!" the immortal growled, jumping up. It was only Ianto grabbing his arm that prevented him from charging at John.

"This wasn't my fault-"

"That's a strong matter of opinion." Owen muttered.

"If he hadn't punched me, none of this would have happened." John yelled angrily, pointing at Jack.

"Maybe you shouldn't have brought drugs over here in the first place?!" the immortal asked sarcastically.

"All right, that's enough!" Ianto spoke up, shooting John a warning glance when he opened his mouth to object. "We can all agree on the fact that John is a bloody idiot. But he didn't actually give her the drugs now, did he? And what do you think would happen if she wakes up tomorrow and her daddy is gone? I'm pretty sure that would only make the situation worse."

"Besides, you said that you'd help me." John mumbled, looking down at his hands.

"I thought you didn't need any help? Wasn't all of this just for fun?" Jack asked in a taunting tone.

"Enough!" Ianto groaned, standing up. "John, get cleaned up, you look like shit. And you," he said, turning to his lover "lie down or something. You're exhausted."

Neither of the Captains protested, John walking out of the room and Jack settling down on the bed next to Ria, reaching over and taking her hand again. If the timing hadn't been so inappropriate, Owen would have made a joke about how whipped the two of them are.

* * *

Startled, Jack woke up, cursing himself for falling asleep in the first place. His first reaction was to check the bed next to him.

"She's fine. Well, you know what I mean." Owen said without looking up from his experiments. Ria was still asleep, clutching the shirt John had been wearing earlier to her chest, mumbling something he couldn't make out.

Careful not to wake up Ianto, who was cuddled up to him, Jack got up and stretched, looking around the room. "Where's John?"

"No idea." the doctor shrugged indifferently.

Placing a kiss on his daughter's forehead, Jack walked out to the main area, knowing that he couldn't do anything right now and that Owen would call if she woke up. Which wasn't likely to happen for another few hours anyway. Yawning, he stood in the middle of the hub, trying to decide where to start searching for the other Captain. The decision was taken from him when he heard a loud crash from the lower levels. With a sigh, he followed the noises, thinking of at least a dozen ways how to kill John when he found him. His anger vanished almost completely when he reached the bathroom and spotted John, sitting on the floor between the shards of broken glass, his face buried in his hands, blood flowing down his arms.

"What did you do?" he gasped, crouching down next to the man.

"Punched the mirror."

Relieved, Jack pulled the other man into his arms, hugging him as close as possible. There had been too many times in the past where he had found him in situations like this, drugged out of his mind, hurting or even trying to kill himself. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Thought you wanted me to piss off?"

"Not like that!" the immortal whispered, cupping his face and pressing their lips together. "You promised that you would _never_ do this again." he breathed, his forehead resting against John's.

"That was over 18 years ago, when we were still pretending to be in love and all that crap." John said bitterly.

"I did love you, John." Jack said, running a hand through the other man's curls. "You know that, in some way, I always will."

"I need you, Jackie." the younger Captain chocked out, digging his fingers into the immortal's sides, tears stinging in his eyes. "I can't cope without you..."

"You won't have to. I promise."

"Help me."

"Always." Jack smiled, placing another soft kiss on John's lips. He had been warned that Jonathan Tiberius Hart was trouble even before he had met him and it had proven to be more than true ever since. Jack had been there during every mental breakdown, every mood swing and fit of rage, the depression and the mania, every time the other man had hurt himself out of anger and frustration and for the whole six months it had taken him to finally quit the drugs and regain control of his life. From their first meeting at the Time Agency until the day they parted ways after the time loop over a decade later, Jack and John had been inseparable. Fighting and arguing constantly, neither of them faithful to or completely honest with the other, but inseparable nonetheless. John was one of the very few people the immortal had ever truly loved and vice versa. The real difference was that Jack had managed to move on and find someone else while John had regressed back to the state he had been in before meeting the other Captain; lonely, depressed and mentally unstable, making him dangerous and unpredictable.

"I'm sorry..." John sobbed into Jack's shoulder, desperately clinging to the older man.

"I know, it's going to be fine. I got you." the immortal soothed, gaining just as much comfort from holding John as he was giving him.

Jack didn't know how long they had been sitting and the floor of the bathroom when he noticed that both of them were shivering, dried blood sticking to his shirt and John's hands and arms. Groaning, he pulled himself up, offering John a hand.

"Thanks." John mumbled, swaying a bit.

It was only now the immortal realised that the other man wasn't wearing a shirt. Concerned, he looked him up and down, reaching out to touch four deep scratches on his side, making him hiss. "How did that happen?"

"Playtime got a little rough." John said, followed by a weak attempt at a cheeky grin.

Taking his hands, Jack turned his arms over, counting the injections.

"Don't-" the younger Captain muttered, trying to pull his hands away, too worn out to actually manage it.

"88...and that's just the fresh ones!" Jack exclaimed angrily. "You lied to me. How long?"

"Ever since Dall...you know."

"Why didn't you come to me?" the immortal sighed, running a hand over the other man's ribs that were starting to show.

"You left!" John barked, jerking away.

"That didn't mean I wanted you out of my life completely!" Jack snapped back.

"You ran away from _your family_, what was I supposed to think? You broke my fucking heart, you bloody bastard!" John yelled and turned around, ready to storm off.

"Wait!" the other Captain pleaded, quickly grabbing his hips, turning him back around. "I'm sorry, Tibs." he said softly, cupping John's face, stroking the tiny scar across his eyebrow.

"Don't call me that!" John demanded half-heartedly, leaning into the touch.

"I'll help you through this, I promise. I won't run from you ever again." the immortal smiled.

Burying his face in Jack's chest, John closed his arms around the other man. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"_I promise!_" Jack repeated, lifting John's chin up, capturing his mouth in a comforting kiss. No matter how much he tried to deny it, John was a part of his life, one he couldn't and didn't want to get rid of. He didn't love him back in the way he deserved, that kind of love was reserved for Ianto and Ianto alone, but he would be damned if he was going to lose his oldest and closest friend. No matter how damaged and insane that friend was.

They pulled apart when they heard Ianto, standing in the door, clearing his throat.

"Tael." the archivist said, holding his phone out to the immortal. He had been woken by the worried alien a couple minutes earlier. Ria had stood him off, which wasn't like her and after trying to reach her and then Jack for the last six hours, he had finally thought of calling Ianto. And since he had no idea how to tell someone that their girlfriend had just attempted suicide, here he was, handing the situation over to Jack with an apologetical smile on his face.

"Shit..." the older Captain groaned, taking the phone off his lover, placing a quick kiss on his forehead before leaving to have a very uncomfortable conversation.

A sheepish look on his face, John tried to push past Ianto, wanting to get away as fast and as far as possible, because contrary to Jack, he was actually fearing the Welshman's reaction to what he had just witnessed the two Captains doing. But he didn't even get out of the room, a firm hand pushing him back and onto one of the shower benches.

"Sit." the archivist said and John complied, not in a state - neither physically nor emotionally - to argue. He watched the younger man rummage around in what he supposed was his locker, taking out several items and placing them next to the sink. He looked at him confused when he turned on the water, soaking a cloth before crouching down next to him.

"What-?!" the Captain began, but was silenced when the warm fabric was moved over his face, cleaning off dried sweat, tears and blood, moving over the broken nose with great care. The process was repeated on his hands and arms with Ianto being very careful not to rub against any of the wounds from the needles and the glass.

He finished the cleaning up and got up again, picking up a bottle of lotion, sitting down on the bench next to John. He ran his eyes over the older man's body and winced slightly at the sight.

"Why are you doing this?" John wanted to know, backing away a little.

"Taking care of people, it's what I do." Ianto smiled, soaking a piece of cotton with the lotion. "This might sting a little." he warned and began to treat the scratches on the Captain's face before moving down to the deeper ones on his sides and chest. After neatly throwing the used cotton away and putting the bottle back where it belonged, he took hold of John's hand and opened a tube of another lotion, spreading some of it over the cuts from the broken mirror. "Hold that still for a moment." he instructed, getting some gauze and bandages from his pile by the sink, tightly wrapping them around the Captain's hand.

John watched Ianto work in silence, doing as instructed and wondering why the younger man didn't seem to be angry or upset at him.

"Get up." the archivist ordered, retrieving a thick hoodie and some sweatpants from his pile, holding them out to John.

The Captain had to resist the urge to sniff them and check if they smelt like Ianto. He quickly changed, humming happily at the softness and warmth of the new clothes. Which did indeed smell like Ianto, he noticed with the faintest of smiles.

"Better?" the younger man wanted to know, zipping the hoodie up.

John nodded sheepishly, still trying to figure out what the ulterior motive behind Ianto's actions was.

"Good." Ianto smiled, brushing a few of the curls that were getting too long out of the other man's face.

"Why are you so...nice to me? After everything?" the Captain demanded, grabbing the younger man's hand, moving it away from his face.

"Everything?" the archivist asked, unable to suppress a little grin.

"The drugs, the lying, kissing Jack..."

"I don't know why you did what you did, so I don't think I have a right to judge." Ianto shrugged. "And, as I said, taking care of people is what I do best."

With a sigh, John let himself fall back on the bench, rubbing his spinning head, looking down at his shaking hands.

Ianto knelt down in front of him, starting to put one of his feet into a warm woollen sock.

"I can bloody well dress myself!" John snapped, rage suddenly boiling up inside him.

"Okay." the archivist simply said, handing him the other sock, watching him struggle with it, barely able to hold it.

Cursing under his breath, the Captain threw the piece of clothing into a corner and pulled his legs up to his chest, resting his forehead on them. The fury he had felt only moments earlier was replaced with utter helplessness and he could have slapped himself when he realised the tears stinging in the corners of his eyes. He didn't even protest when Ianto retrieved the sock, pulled his legs out again and put it on before sitting down next to him.

"How long is it normally between two hits?"

"Six to eight hours. Less if I'm worried or stressed or something."

"What are you going to do now?" Ianto asked, chewing on his lower lip.

"I...I'm not sure." John admitted, playing with the cords of his hood.

"C'mere." the younger man sighed, pulling the Captain against his chest, placing a kiss on top of his head.

"You should hate me right now."

"Two of the people I love most in this world seem to be pretty sure that you're worth the trouble. I'm just gonna go with that."

Cupping the other man's face, John thanked him in the only way he knew how and pressed their lips together, placing one hand on Ianto's neck, caressing it softly.

Ianto smiled into the kiss, knowing exactly what the other man was trying to express with it. "Do you wanna check on Ria?" he asked, getting up and pulling John along, supporting his weight when he started to sway again. Slowly, they made their way back up to the recovery room where they were greeted by Tael.

"Hi." the archivist said awkwardly, unsure about what to do in such a situation. Luckily, the alien didn't seem to know either, shooting him a quick smile, his attention already on John.

"What's up with you?" he frowned, taking a step towards the two of them.

"He's drugged out of his bloody mind, that's what's up." Owen snorted, throwing his hands in the air when both Jack and Ianto glared at him. "What? Now I'm the bad guy?"

"Leave him alone." Ianto said sternly, moving away from John in surprise when Tael sneaked an arm around his waist, helping him settle on one of the beds. "What did I miss?" he whispered to Jack, sitting down next to the immortal on the edge of Ria's bed.

"I honestly don't know." Jack mused, watching the two men who'd been at each other's throats only a few weeks ago.

"Translation?" the archivist asked when they started to quietly mumble in a language he hadn't heard before.

"I don't speak Asiri." Jack said, shooting his lover an apologetical smile, pulling him against himself. "Thank you."

"For what?" Ianto raised an eyebrow at the older man.

"Being Ianto." the immortal smiled, capturing his mouth in a sweet emotional kiss, pouting when the younger man pulled back.

"What? You don't want any coffee?" Ianto teased. "Thought we could all use some."

"You forgot something."

Rolling his eyes, Ianto moved close to Jack's ear. "I love you." he whispered, laughing when the Captain beamed up at him, demanding another kiss. Their relationship might have looked one-sided to bystanders, but Ianto saw it as a big step that the immortal actually wanted him to admit his feelings and he knew Jack felt the same way, even though he couldn't say it back.

Stepping away, he quickly ran a hand over Ria's and shot Tael - who had a barely awake John sprawled across his chest - a fond smile before making his way to the small kitchen to get the promised coffee.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed it, please tell me what you thought. Until next time!


	30. Surprises

**Chapter Summary:** A chapter full of surprises.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, (mentions of) violence, abuse and rape

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four - Surprises**

Jack watched his daughter in the rear view mirror, her head resting against the window, staring into the distance, absently rubbing her wrist, this time because she missed her straps, which the immortal had taken away while she'd slept. She had accepted the portable monitor without comment. Actually, now that he thought about it, she hadn't said anything apart from answering Owen's medical questions. That was concerning. His view shifted over to John, nervously tapping his knee, sweat on his brow.

With a sigh, he looked back at the road, smiling when he felt Ianto's hand on his leg, squeezing softly. Placing his own hand over the younger man's, he linked their fingers, thankful to have someone by his side right now. The upcoming months were going to be hard and the only thing that brightened the prospects a little was the fact that he would have Ianto for support.

They pulled up at the house half an hour later and John immediately jumped out of the car, vanishing in the cellar he had claimed for himself, hopefully to let out some steam, but Jack suspected otherwise. He rubbed a hand over his face before fallowing Ianto, who was holding the door open for Ria, helping the still groggy girl out of the SUV. The three of them were halfway across the yard when a heartbreaking meow caused them to stop in their tracks and frown.

Ria was the first one to spot the little kitten, hiding behind a potted plant, peeking out at the people walking by. The girl crouched down holding a hand out to the frightened animal, slightly wiggling her finger.

Curious, the kitten moved closer to her, slowly and very carefully, shyly sniffing her hand.

Reaching out a bit further, Ria patted the little animal's head, causing it to hiss and back away. After eyeing her for a moment, the kitten nudged her hand and started to purr when the girl began to scratch its head.

Unsure if it would let her, she picked the animal up, cradling it in her arms, caressing its belly. A faint smile spread across her face when it meowed happily, stretching and wiggling its tail.

With a hopeful look, Ria turned around to face her father.

"It probably belongs to someone, sweetheart." Jack said, wincing at the disappointment that flashed across her face.

"It looks like a stray." Ianto threw in, picking a piece of dried mud out of the kittens fur, chuckling when it tried to catch his finger. "It's not wearing a collar and it looks like it has been out here for a while."

"All right, fine." Jack smiled and reached out to place a hand on his daughter's shoulder, but she flinched away, quickly walking away into the house. "I have no idea what to do here." he sighed, worriedly looking after the girl.

"We'll manage." Ianto smiled reassuringly, placing his hands on Jack's hips, pulling him close. "We always do."

With a groan, the immortal closed his arms around the younger man, burying his face in the soft dark hair. He wanted to believe that things would work out somehow, but right now, he couldn't see a way how that was going to happen.

* * *

Yawning, Jack looked over at the clock on his desk, surprised to see that it was past noon already. He had been working, or rather trying to do so, for a straight 4 hours. But then, the time had mostly been spent worrying about the girl sleeping in the armchair, snuggled up under a comfy blanket with their newest family member curled up by her feet.

He had suspected a little protest when he had settled her down in his study rather than her room, not daring to leave her out of his sight for a single moment. But once again, the girl remained quiet, not uttering a single word, simply allowing him to do what he needed to do. The only time she had complained, in the form of a grunt, was when he tried to place a kiss on her forehead, quickly ducking out of the way.

Sighing, he got up, his intention to find Ianto and get a good cup of coffee as long as the girl was sleeping and, therefore, safe. He hadn't even rounded his desk when Ria started to stir, causing the kitten to let out an annoyed cry and jump off the chair.

With a startled cry, the girl's eyes snapped open and she clasped a hand against her shoulder where Owen had found the piece of metal upon her arrival, pressing her knees together as tightly as possible.

Jack saw the tears about to be spilled, but remained where he was, remembering her violent reaction from a couple hours ago, clenching his fists out of anger at the painfully obvious subject of her nightmare.

Sniffling, the girl looked at her father, her lower lip trembling dangerously. After a moment of consideration, she held out her arms, a pleading look on her face.

The immortal didn't need to be asked twice and quickly slipped onto the chair next to her, closing his arms around her.

Relieved, Ria nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck, one hand moving to his arm, desperately holding on to it as the tears began to flow.

"It's going to be fine, sweetheart. I love you." Jack soothed, kissing the top of her head, softly stroking her back.

The two of them were lying there for almost half an hour before the girl had composed herself enough to choke out a few words.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." she mumbled hoarsely.

"You should have talked to me, sweetheart." Jack sighed, lifting her chin up and brushing the tears away with his thumb.

"There's no use, nothing you can do about it." she said sadly, trying to move away.

"We will find something!" the immortal insisted, holding her in place. "We couldn't save your brother. This has been haunting me for the last 5 years and I'll be damned if I lose you too."

"Can I go see daddy?" Ria asked, desperate to move away from a subject she thought to be pointless. There really was nothing anybody could do. No one could replace Dallin and no one could make the pain go away. Never.

"Maybe that's not such a good-" Jack began, only to be interrupted by his suddenly very panicked daughter.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" she demanded and jumped up.

"No, your father is right downstairs." Jack tried to calm her down to no avail. "He just needs some...rest."

Ria sat down with an 'Oooh!' when it dawned on her what he was talking about, worriedly chewing on her lower lip. "What can I do?"

"You can try and get better." the Captain said, only causing her to roll her eyes in annoyance. "I'm serious, Dorian! You attempted suicide, that's no laughing matter!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't manage, so get the fuck over it!" she snapped angrily, kicking the large wooden desk.

"Sweetheart-"

"What? I'm here, I'm alive and I'm talking again. What more do you want?" the girl hissed.

"Can you promise me that you will never do something like this again?"

"Yes!"

Raising an eyebrow, Jack looked at her with a piercing look. With a groan, Ria plopped down on the desk, rubbing her face. She opened her mouth to confirm her statement, but in the end said nothing, because it would have been a lie and he wouldn't have believed it anyway.

"Come here." the immortal sighed, holding out his arms, but the girl remained where she was, shaking her head. "Please?" he added in a softer voice, smiling up at her.

Reluctantly - and sulking - Ria sat back down in her father's lap, nestling her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry, lun'â." he began, causing her to frown at him. "I should have done more, it should never have come to this."

"Don't blame yourself, dad." she said immediately, taking one of his hands, linking their fingers.

"From now on, I'm going to be a _real_ parent to you. I've screwed up enough in my life, but I'll do right by you."

"You weren't that bad." she chuckled fondly, placing a kiss on his cheek, sneaking her arms around him again.

"I was pretty bad." the immortal laughed, hugging his daughter close to his chest, kissing the top of her head. "But that's going to change. _Right now!_"

"Jack? How bad is daddy really?" Ria asked after a while, looking the man straight in the eyes. "And don't lie to me!" she added when he hesitated. "I am not a child anymore, I want to know. I _need_ to know."

"He's been better. And worse, actually."

"But he's using again, isn't he? And not just now and then, not just for fun?"

"How much do you know about all of this?" Jack wondered. He had never told her explicitly about John's worst times and he was fairly sure that the other Captain hadn't either.

"Siger told me."

"_What?_"

"He was so pissed at John that one time, I don't even remember why. I was about 9 or 10 years old. Naturally, I tried to defend him, so grandpa told me everything. I think he was jealous that John and I had such a good relationship, despite all the shit he always did."

"Even so, he shouldn't have burdened you with that." Jack grunted, planning on confronting the man about it.

"Leave it." the girl shrugged. "He was trying to protect me. To prepare me for the 'inevitable day when John would fuck up so bad that he actually breaks my heart'."

"He said that?" the immortal gasped and the girl nodded. "What did you do?"

"Told him to go fuck himself."

"Sounds about right." he chuckled, kissing her forehead.

"I want to see daddy."

"I don't know what state he-"

"I can handle it!" she insisted, looking up at her father with big eyes.

"Just for a minute." Jack sighed and the girl jumped up, grabbing his shoulder for support.

"I am fine." she groaned when concern flashed across his face.

Knowing that he couldn't change her mind and wondering how the other Captain was himself, he snuck an arm around her waist, accompanying her down to the cellar and softly knocked on the door.

"Go away." John grunted.

Not listening to her father, Ria opened the door and slipped into the room, seemingly unimpressed by the state of it, stepping over the various items John had obviously thrown around.

"Piss off!" the Captain hissed, glaring at the girl from his position on the bed, pressed against the wall, trembling violently, sweat on his forehead.

Ignoring him again, the girl went into the little enclosed bathroom, emerging half a minute later with a wet cloth, joining her father on the bed. When she reached out to him, he grabbed her arm, brutally yanking it away.

Jack was about to go and get his daughter away from him, but she shot him down with an insistent look.

Ria carefully tried to loosen John's fingers around her wrist, but he held on to tightly.

"Leave me the fuck alone!" the man yelled angrily, pulling at her arm again.

"All right, that's enough!" Jack decided, quickly walking over to the two of them.

"Daddy." Ria whispered calmly, cupping John's face, not paying any attention to Jack now standing behind her or the fact that John was still grabbing her arm, his nails digging into her skin.

Breathing heavily, John stared at his daughter, who had an unusually kind look on her face, smiling at the man. He relaxed a little after a moment and closed his eyes, resting his head against the wall.

"Lie down." she said softly, settling the man on the bed, placing the cloth on his forehead. Taking one of his arms, she ran her fingers over the needle marks, placing kisses on the freshest looking ones.

With a sigh, Jack sat down on the edge of the bed, watching the two of them. It worried him how she had already started to slip back into her ways again, taking care of everyone around her in order to push away her own issues. Despite the tenseness of the situation, a fond smile spread across his face when Ria cuddled up to John and held out a hand to him, inviting him to join them.

"Only for a couple of minutes." he said, lying down next to her, protectively throwing an arm over her and resting his hand on John's chest.

* * *

Groggily, Jack opened his eyes and yawned, not quite awake yet. He looked over at his daughter when she stirred next to him, realising that he had fallen asleep in the middle of the day, wondering - not for the first time - why he was always so tired lately.

"Hey." John whispered, brushing some of the girl's hair away to be able to look at him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." the younger Captain winced, disentangling himself from the girl and sitting up. Leaning down again, he placed a kiss on her head and softly nudged her shoulder, causing her to grunt in protest.

"How long did I sleep?" Jack wondered, getting up and cracking his neck.

"It's around 7."

"I haven't slept so much in years."

"Sleep is good." Ria mumbled, pulling a blanket over her head.

Grinning at his daughter, John got up and stretched, his stomach growling loudly.

"Good thing that dinner's ready." Ianto smirked, standing in the door, causing both Jack and John to jump in surprise.

"Don't do that!" the immortal scolded with a grin, placing a quick kiss on his lover's lips before sprinting up the stairs to the kitchen.

"Really, a heart attack is the last thing I need right now." John agreed, copying Jack in kissing the younger man before following the immortal, causing Ianto to fondly roll his eyes.

"You too, pêt." he said, pulling the blankets away from Ria.

"Not hungry. Sleepy." the girl complained and curled up into a ball.

"Owen said you need to eat and drink a lot. Please?" Ianto smiled at her when she looked up at him through half open eyes.

"Fine." she grumbled, finally getting up. "What's for dinner, then?"

* * *

"Stop feeding the cat with you curry!" Ianto sighed, shooing the little animal away from the table.

"His name's Conan." Ria grinned, reluctantly eating a spoon full of her food.

"Conan?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow, but the girl never got the chance to answer. An even wider grin spread across her face at a sound that was very familiar to her and the immortal. Without further comment, she climbed over a protesting John and ran into the living room.

Frowning, Ianto looked at Jack, who had grown very pale. "Something wrong?"

"The Doctor." Jack said, swallowing hard.

"Oh..." John gasped, setting down his fork, biting his lower lip.

"That's bad _why_ exactly?" Ianto wanted to know, getting the suspicion that the two Captains were up to something.

"Maybe it's just a social visit?" John offered.

"As if we were so lucky." the immortal groaned, making his way to join his daughter, followed by John and a very confused Ianto.

They reached the living room just as a blue police box materialised next to the Christmas tree. Seeming truly happy and excited for the first time in a long while, Ria ran towards it, stopping when the door flew open as if by an invisible hand - or if you knew better, like her and Jack, as if the TARDIS had intended for the following things to happen. A little boy with dirty black hair and flaming red eyes ran out of the ship, collided with Ria's legs, fell back on his butt and stared up at the girl with wide teary eyes.

Ria's mouth fell open and she took a few steps backwards, her gaze never leaving the child on the floor, who was examining her curiously, tilting his head to one side in a way very similar to the girl.

"What did I tell you about running off on your own?" came another voice from inside the TARDIS and a man appeared, frowning at the scene in front of him.

"You!" the girl hissed, glaring at him, her eyes glistening dangerously. "How could you? Why would you?"

Puzzled, the Doctor looked at Jack, which was enough for the girl to piece everything together.

"Oh, of course. You fucking asshole!" she spat, slapping the immortal across the face before turning to John. "You knew?" she asked disappointed, angrily shoving him away when he nodded. "Screw both of you!" she barked, storming off to her room, loudly slamming the door.

The men didn't even have time to process the information when a golden light appeared next to Ianto and Ria stepped out of it, glaring at her fathers before grabbing the archivist's hand, both of them disappearing again.

"You didn't take away the other strap, did you?" John sighed and Jack shrugged sheepishly.

They both turned their heads when the boy on the floor began to cry, looking between them with a scared expression on his face.

"I get the feeling that you were exaggerating when you told me Dorian would be thrilled to see her son." the Doctor said, raising an eyebrow at his old friend.

Once again, they all turned their heads when the familiar light appeared for a second time, revealing Tael, who was rubbing his cheek, a dark red handprint starting to show.

"A bit, maybe." Jack sighed embarrassed, letting himself fall back on the sofa.

* * *

An hour later, the two Captains were sitting on the sofa, watching the boy play with Conan, squealing happily when the kitten licked his face.

"We screwed up. Badly." John groaned, nervously rubbing his face.

"Don't have to tell me." Jack sighed, smiling fondly at his grandson, who quickly looked away again when he saw the immortal watching him. They had spent the last hour first listening to the angry Doctor's lecture and - after he had left to talk to some UNIT people, promising that he would be back in no time - trying to calm down the little boy. Which hadn't worked out at all, since he seemed to be terrified of the two and tried to run and hide as soon as they came near him. He had finally stopped crying when Tael had brought in the kitten, sitting down opposite the boy with the little animal in his lap and a kind smile on his face.

"Do you think she'll come back?" John asked shyly, scared of the answer Jack was going to give him. From his position on the floor, Tael looked up at the two of them, insecurity and worry flashing across his features.

"She took Ianto with her. If there's someone who's able to bring her back, it's him."

"I feel terrible."

"Me too." the immortal said, swallowing hard and pulling the other man close, resting his head on top of John's. They both jumped up, startling the boy into crying again, when a well-known light started to shimmer and Ria and Ianto stepped out of it, looking suspiciously cheerful and content.

"I'll never get used to this." Ianto groaned, looking slightly green in the face. "How long have we been gone?" he frowned, looking at the watch on the wall above the TV.

"Yeah, how long have you been gone?" Jack wanted to know, noticing the stubble on his lover's chin. Which didn't look all that bad, actually.

"About three days." the archivist said, pulling Jack into a hug. "I've missed you." he smiled, placing a tender kiss on the older man's lips.

"And I'm still angry, just so you know." Ria piped up, flopping down in one of the armchairs, ignoring the sniffling boy on the floor who - in his scared and confused state - had moved just a tiny bit closer to Tael without realising it.

"Where have you been?" the immortal asked, sniffing Ianto's hair. "You smell like the ocean."

"That's kind of a long story." the younger man sighed, sitting down on the sofa.

* * *

"Why? Why would they do this?" Ria demanded angrily, pacing around the bathroom, kicking random things as she did so.

"Does it always feel like this?" Ianto managed to choke out before he had to gag again, quickly moving his head back over the toilet.

"You get used to it, I guess." the girl shrugged. "I mean, what the hell were they thinking?"

"I'm sure they wanted to help."

"How is _this_ helping?" she snapped. "And what are you looking at?" she barked at a slimy looking, halfway see-through creature who quickly scrambled out of the bathroom, mumbling something Ianto didn't understand.

"They wanted you to have a chance to meet your son." the archivist sighed, pulling himself up and walking over to the sink, rinsing his mouth. "So, are filthy gas stations a universal thing then?"

"Just in the northern galaxies. And I told them that I do _not_ want to see him. What's so hard to understand about that?"

"Are you sure about this? You aren't curious? You feel nothing for him?" Ianto wondered, eyeing her critically.

"Do you want to know what I see when I look at him?" Ria asked, her voice dangerously low. "All I see is the man who tortured, abused and raped me for years. Why the fuck would I want to be reminded of him every single fucking day for the rest of my life? _Why?_"

"It's not the boy's fault-"

"I know that!" she yelled, letting herself fall down on the floor, resting her head against the cold tiles. "But it is how it is." she added in quieter voice, tears in the corners of her eyes.

With a few strides, Ianto was on the ground beside her, pulling her into a hug. "Hey there, don't cry. We'll find a solution, yeah?" he smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and another on to her lips, running a hand up and down her back.

"Why couldn't you have let me die?" she whispered, burying her face in the man's shoulder.

{oOo}

Ianto was sprawled out on a comfy couch, the Greelyak - that's what Ria had called it - on the telly whining about being evicted from some kind of TV show, only causing the audience to boo angrily. But his attention was mostly on the girl, curled up on the hotel bed, finally sleeping after hours of yelling, screaming and weeping.

After emerging from the bathroom to a crowd of 'people' who were wondering what Ianto had done to upset the girl like that, Ria had quickly pulled him out of the gas station and into the main street of what he soon realised must be the capital of one of the planets of the Vegas Galaxy. The girl had led him to a fancy looking hotel, showing the receptionist some black card, immediately getting them a huge suite on the top floor overlooking the city. But he didn't have time to marvel at the beauty of the buildings and sculptures bathing in the light of two light blue suns, because his focus was on trying to prevent a furious Ria from trashing the place. She switched from enraged to depressed in a matter of seconds over the duration of the afternoon and evening, all the while cursing her fathers, Jago, the Agency and the universe itself. And Ianto didn't have the slightest idea what to do besides hold her when she let him and hide all the sharp objects after seeing her eyes linger on a decor sword for a moment too long. In the end, he was glad when she switched to getting wasted and eventually passed out.

A heartbreaking cry brought him back to the here and now and he was on his feet and next to the bed in a matter of seconds.

"Yanni, I'm...lost. _So_ lost." Ria mumbled through another wave of tears, shaking violently, clutching a pillow to her chest.

"Come here, sweetheart." he soothed, slipping into the bed next to her, pulling her against his chest. Not knowing what to say, he simply lay there, holding her close until her breathing became steady and even, trying and failing to stay awake himself.

{oOo}

Confused and dizzy, Ianto opened his eyes, not sure where he was for a moment. The suns were just coming up, lighting the room into a lovely blue, making the silver of the bed frame shine in various colours. That's when the previous day came back to him and a hand automatically moved to the other side of the bed, his heart almost stopping when no one was there.

"Ria?"

"Just a moment, I'll be right out." came the girl's voice from the bathroom.

Relieved, he let himself fall back on the bed for a couple more minutes, letting out a small laugh when it hit him. He was on a different planet. In a different galaxy, a different time for all he knew. On an _alien_ planet. Suddenly very curious, he moved from the bed onto the balcony, his eyes wandering over the city before him. But as marvellous as this was, his thoughts immediately came back to the reasons why he'd landed here in the first place.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ria smiled, slipping her arms around his waist, leaning against his back.

"It really is." he said honestly, turning around to face her. "But we have to go back."

Grimacing, she took a step back, but Ianto was quick and closed his arms around her again, holding her tightly.

"I need to go somewhere first." the girl whispered, a lump in her throat making it almost impossible to talk.

"Will it involve travelling with that thing?" he winced, motioning at the wrist strap.

"Afraid so." Ria laughed and they were off in a swirl of light and colours.

{oOo}

"Where are we?" Ianto asked, lying on a field overlooking the ocean, the salty smell of the water dancing around them.

"Ilos." Ria said, looking down at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Feeling better?"

"A little." he groaned, accepting her hand and getting up. "That's where your grandparents live, isn't it?"

"Yep. The big house right down there on the beach."

"Are we here to see them?" he asked hopefully. Maybe the two men would be able to help. But then again, they didn't even know about Ria's ordeal, much less the fact that there was a child involved.

"Nope." the girl shook her head and pulled him along a narrow path up a hill and into a wood of lavender coloured trees. She didn't say another word until they reached a small clearing, a white marble stone standing in the middle of it.

Ianto didn't know why, but his fingers and toes began to tingle and he could have sworn there was a light glow surrounding the stone. He watched in silence as Ria approached and ran a hand over it, a faint smile spreading across her lips. Almost like being in a trance, he walked closer to her and sat down on the ground beside her, his eyes never leaving the stone. "What is this place?" he whispered, having the sudden feeling that talking loudly wasn't appropriate.

"Dallin's grave." the girl said, pointing at tiny black letters engraved in the white of the marble.

"I didn't know he had a...I never thought about...well, of course he has a..." Ianto stammered, silently cursing himself for acting like a bloody idiot.

"It's all right." Ria chuckled, pulling out a piece of grass and slipping it into her mouth. "Apple grass." she explained when Ianto stared at her, a baffled expression on his face. "I mean, Jack probably told you he was in cryo, so it's no wonder you didn't expect a grave."

"Why did he lie to me?" the man frowned, copying the girl in eating a blade of grass, surprised that it really did taste like a slightly sour apple.

"He didn't. Not entirely, at least. His soul is right here." she smiled, placing her hand on the stone again, stroking it softly.

"His...his soul?"

"Most higher developed races succeeded in separating body and mind a while ago. You can transfer your mind - or soul, depending on your point of view - into a variety of objects, sometimes even small animals. Most people use this method to store memories, especially happy ones they never want to lose. Did you ever read Harry Potter?"

Ianto nodded, unsure where this was heading.

"It's a bit like Dumbledore's Pensieve. Only that you can't retrieve the parts of you that were transferred into objects or other living things. They stay there permanently."

"Are you telling me that magic actually exists? I mean, I got used to all the alien out there, but magic?" he asked disbelievingly, flexing his now painfully itching fingers.

"Not magic, science. To ordinary humans, they may seem like one and the same thing."

"Should I be offended?" he chuckled, causing the girl to grin too.

"No, sorry. Sometimes I just forget how different the 21st century is."

"So, your brother's soul is in that stone?" he mused, not sure why he felt so drawn to it.

"Yep."

"But...why?"

"Mostly for sentimental reasons. It's pretty common around this time. It makes people feel connected to deceased loved ones, since bodies are normally cremated."

"But it's different for you." he stated, somehow knowing there was more to it.

"Very different." she agreed with a smile, tracing a finger along Dallin's name. "For me, it is like a Pensieve. _His_ Pensieve."

"You can see him?" A little nod. "Feel him?" Another nod. "Can you talk to him?"

"No, they are just memories. The happiest memories of his life, extracted and placed here for all eternity, making a part of him live forever."

"That's beautiful." Ianto whispered, placing his hander over Ria's. "Why is it glowing, though?"

"_What?_" the girl exclaimed surprised, eyes wide open and staring at him.

"There's this...shimmer surrounding it. Like...warmness. Don't you see it?" he frowned.

"_I_ do. But no one else does."

"I don't understand-" Ianto began, moving his hand to touch the cold marble. As soon as his skin connected with it, he felt like he was exploding with joy, a comfortable warmth spreading through his whole body, every inch of him tingling with a sensation of pure contentment unknown to him until this very moment. He could see and feel everything, the world, every galaxy and the whole universe seemed to shift into place, making sense for the first time in his life. And then there were the images. Dallin and Dorian, giggling and running along the beach in front of their grandparent's house with Jack chasing them, swirling them around after catching the two squealing children. Dallin, snuggled up against John while the man is reading to him, softly caressing the back of his head, smiling down at him every so often. The twins, sneaking around at the Academy in the middle of the night, stealing left over dessert out of the kitchen, chuckling and scolding each other to be quiet. Dallin again, older this time, sitting in a study room with a blond boy, shooting him shy glances and blushing furiously when he smiles back at him.

With a sharp intake of breath, Ianto came back to reality, panting heavily. Next to him, Ria was in much the same state, a hand clasped over her mouth, tears - this time not sad ones - rolling down her cheeks.

"They said it was impossible." she cried, flinging her arms around him, throwing him to the ground in the process.

"What-?"

"Thank you. Thank you _so_ much!" she laughed through the tears, pressing a wet kiss to his lips.

There had been a lot of kisses shared between the two of them, mostly for comfort, but this one was different. Ianto suddenly knew that they belonged together, that Ria was his and he was hers, that they were part of each other. Not in a sexual way and not in the same way he felt for Jack, but in a whole new way, an unexplainable way. He felt complete, realising for the first time that he had been missing a part of himself before.

"Is that how it feels?" he wondered, cupping her face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "Is this how it feels to have a Spirit'in?"

"This is it." the girl smiled, resting her head in the crook of his neck with a happy sigh.

{oOo}

"But I'm not him, right?"

"No, you are still Ianto Jones, you are still you." Ria chuckled, sitting on the bed back in their suite, watching Ianto stare at himself in the mirror.

"Why me, though? Why you and me?" he frowned at her through his reflexion. "You said this was extremely rare, even in siblings. And we are strangers, completely unrelated. Wait, we are, right?" he gasped, eyes growing wide.

"Torchwood has samples of your blood, remember? Jack would have found out if any of us were related a long time ago."

"I still don't understand." he sighed, flopping down on the bed next to her.

"Me neither." the girl admitted sheepishly. "Some people say it's the universe bringing the people who need each other the most together."

"That's kinda cheesy."

"I know, but it's probably the only explanation we're ever going to get." Ria laughed softly, lying down, her head resting on Ianto's chest.

"This doesn't fix everything though, does it?" Ianto asked after a while, shifting to be able to look at her, their foreheads pressed together.

"Not everything, no."

"What are you going to do?"

"Send him back."

"You really don't want to get to know him?"

"I don't."

"You know I can feel your emotions now, right?" he smiled understandingly, running a hand through her hair.

"I love him." she sighed sadly, closing her eyes. "But I can't stand what he reminds me of."

"Maybe it would get easier over time? Once you know him as a person and not just as a shadow of your past?"

"Could be. It's highly likely, actually. But what if that's not enough? What if I can't give him what he needs? I'm hardly up to being a parent."

"Is that it? You're scared that you won't be good enough?" he asked, placing a hand on her cheek, causing her to open her eyes and nod shyly. "That's ridiculous! I'll be there for you, so will your fathers, your family. You are not alone, pêt." he smiled, closing his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

"I tried to kill myself only a couple of days ago, Yan. And now, there's you, we and I don't understand half of what's happening around me. John's...sick and there are people after us. How can I bring a child into this whole fucking mess?" Ria whispered against him, pressing her face into the crook of his neck.

"Families aren't always perfect?!" he offered, smiling when the girl chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess they're not."

"So, do you think you're ready to go back? We can take things slowly, no one is expecting anything from you, we'll do everything at your pace."

"There's one more thing I really want to do first."

* * *

"We went to Disneyland!" Ria grinned broadly to everybody around.

"You...what?" Jack stammered, still _a little_ hung up on the whole Spirit'in part.

"You know I can't say no to her." Ianto grinned embarrassed.

"I ate a lifetime's worth of cotton candy."

"You and my daughter are-?" John stammered.

"I threw up twice. It was awesome!" Ria sighed happily, leaning back in her seat. All eyes came to rest on her.

"So you're saying that you got over everything that happened the last couple of years in only three days?" the immortal asked sceptically, raising an eyebrow at his daughter.

"What I'm saying, is that I decided to start dealing with things. I can manage, with Yan" she said, smiling fondly at him "and you guys. If you, you know, are willing to help."

"We'd do anything for you, baby." John spoke up, opening his arms for Ria, who immediately jumped up and snuggled up to her father, placing a kiss on his temple.

"Does that mean we're forgiven? We only meant to help-" the younger Captain began, only to be silenced by another very soft kiss, this time to his lips.

"As Ianto said, families aren't always perfect." she shrugged, moving over to Jack, who was waiting impatiently for his share of cuddles.

"Family, does that include me?" Tael spoke up for the first time, sounding insecure and scared.

"Would you leave if I said no?" the girl grinned, causing the alien to playfully stick his tongue out at her.

"Sweetheart, don't forget about him. Family includes him as well." Ianto encouraged her, motioning at the boy, still sitting on the floor, looking up at them with wide eyes.

Biting her lower lip, Ria moved to the floor and sat down opposite her son, eyeing him carefully while Ianto settled down next to Jack and Tael got up to stand back a little. "What's your name?" she asked, wrinkling her nose at the dirty state of the child.

"The Doctor says he doesn't talk yet." Jack quickly said, seeing that his daughter was getting annoyed at the lack of response.

"Why not? How old is he?" she demanded, frowning at the child.

"About three. He was with some...slavers."

"Vaas sold him." It wasn't a question and they could all hear the anger in her voice. "Do you understand me?"

After a moment of consideration, the boy nodded, running a tiny hand over his face to clean away the tears.

"Do you know who I am?"

At that he nodded again, a huge smile spreading across his face. With a bit of difficulty, he got up and reached out towards Ria, who started to panic and backed away.

"Sit down!" she barked, wincing when the boy's lower lip began to tremble. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Another nod and he plopped back down, waiting for her to continue.

"Stupid Quareen and their pre-natal bonding crap." the girl murmured, contemplating what to ask next. "How am I supposed to communicate with you? Why don't you talk?"

Looking a little ashamed, the boy stared at his feet before something occurred to him and he met her eyes again. Tapping his temple, he gurgled something incomprehensible, holding out a hand.

"Clever." Ria chuckled, taking it, softly running a thumb over it, smiling at him for the first time.

Behind her, the four men were anxiously staring at her, none of them wanting to interrupt their first bonding moment. Ianto was leaning against Jack, softly squeezing his hand with the immortal's head resting on top of his. Tael had positioned himself behind the couch, one hand on John's shoulder, the Captain's hand resting on top of the alien's.

"All right, what's your name?" Ria repeated, frowning at a response the other's couldn't hear. "How can you not have a name?" she demanded angrily, making the boy crawl away from her. "Don't do that, I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you, I promise." she smiled, trying to look reassuring and taking his hand again. "Are we good?"

Smiling back at her, the child nodded, moving closer to her again, careful not to touch anything but her hand.

"We'll find a name for you. You can help to chose one, how about that?"

Squealing, the boy nodded, causing John to make a very unmanly sound and the other three men to chuckle, earning themselves angry glares from the Captain.

"Do you know who they are?" Ria continued, pointing at the couch. This time, the boy shook his head. To everyone's surprise, the girl picked him up and settled him in her lap so they were facing the men, brushing some of the filthy hair out of his eyes. "This is Tael. My...boyfriend. Do you know what that means?" she frowned and the boy shook his head again. "Ah well, you'll get used to him. I have too."

"Hey!" the alien pouted, only earning himself a cheeky grin.

"That is Ianto." she continued, pointing at the archivist who smiled and waved at them, causing the boy to giggle and hide his face in her shoulder. "You'll like him, he's patient and kind and he takes care of all of us. Especially that one." she chuckled, indicating at the immortal. "That is Jack and the one next to him is John. They are my daddies. Your granddaddies, I suppose."

"That's good for the ego." Jack sighed dramatically, causing both Ianto and Ria to roll their eyes.

"Questions so far?" she asked, looking down at her son. Her expression hardened in the fraction of a second and she all but pushed the child away from her, scrambling to her feet. "Don't!" she hissed, turning on her heels, running off to her room.

Perplexed, the Captains and Tael looked after her while Ianto moved to the floor and picked up the distraught boy, settling him on his hip. "It's fine, don't cry sweetheart." he soothed, softly stroking his back.

"What happened?" Tael asked confused, moving over to them, running a hand over the boy's head.

"No idea." the archivist shrugged, smiling at the child who looked like he was thinking really hard. He was a little taken aback when the boy suddenly moved his hand to his temple and looked at him as if asking for permission. "You want to show me something?" A shy smile and a little nod from the boy. "All right then, go on."

The others watched in silence, frowning when the boy moved his hand away and the archivist winced.

"So?" Jack wanted to know.

"He asked her about _his_ daddy."


	31. Normality Is A Myth

**Chapter Summary:** Dorian's son settles into the family, the Doctor comes back, a new mysterious stranger arrives and everything takes a turn for the worse.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, violence, (mild) gore / torture

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five - Normality Is A Myth**

"Jack, get up!" Ianto groaned, kicking the other man under the covers.

"You get up." the immortal mumbled, turning away and pulling a pillow over his head.

"He's _your_ grandson."

"He likes you better."

"That's because I'm the one comforting him when he wakes up crying." the younger man hissed, getting annoyed at the Captain's excuses. They had settled the boy on one of the armchairs in the living room, since it was nearest to their bedroom and he seemed to like the lights of the Christmas tree. Ianto had suggested letting him sleep in their bed, which would have made things a lot easier, since he woke up in hourly intervals, crying his heart out. But the boy had refused to be moved to the bedroom, kicking and screaming when they had tried, his eyes fixed on the door Ria had vanished through.

Their bantering stopped immediately when they realised that the crying had stopped and the house was completely silent. Jack was the first one to reach the living room, his heart almost stopping when the boy was gone. Behind him, Ianto had much the same reaction, nervously looking around the room to check if he had hidden somewhere.

"You may want to see this." John whispered with a smile, appearing in the door with Tael and motioning them to follow.

"What's going on?" Jack demanded confused, grabbing the other Captain's wrist. "And what the hell were you doing with him?" he added, pointing at the alien, only causing the both of them to share a grin. He really had to find out how they went from sworn enemies to best buds, it was uncanny.

"Just shut up and look, will you?" the younger man said, rolling his eyes. He led them to the open kitchen, stopping in the dark next to the dining table.

The lights were shining dimly in the kitchen, allowing the four men to watch without being seen. Ria was standing in the middle of the room, only wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, obviously tired and still in the process of waking up. She had the boy settled on her hip, his head resting on her shoulder, one of his tiny hands clutching the amulet around her neck, the other one holding on to the back of her shirt.

"Do you like milk? All children do, don't they?" she mused, pouring the white liquid from the pot into a mug, sticking her pinkie in it to check the temperature. Opening one of the cabinets, she rummaged around in it for a moment before producing a bottle of honey, squirting a bit into the milk. "All right, careful now." she instructed, bringing the mug up to his face.

The boy slowly lifted his head, sniffing at the milk. Apparently deciding it smelt drinkable, he put his hands on the mug, taking a few sips with the girl's help, still spilling some of it on himself. With an annoyed grunt, he held out his now sticky hands.

"It's fine, I'll get it." Ria smiled and picked up a rag from the sink, cleaning his hands and running it over his face, making him squirm in protest. "See? All better now."

Clapping his hands together, he realised that they were no longer icky and let out a happy gurgle, patting Ria's cheeks. Laughing, the girl placed a soft kiss on his forehead and he placed his head on her shoulder again and yawned.

"Are you tired?" At that he vehemently shook his head, clinging on to her a little tighter. "Yeah, of course not." she grinned, resting her chin on top of his head with a happy smile on her lips. "You can stop hiding, by the way." she added and turned around to face the men.

"You had us worried there for a second." Jack scolded half-heartedly, unable to stop smiling at the sight of the two of them.

"Sorry about that." she grinned sheepishly. "Anyway, I think I have this figured out. Guys, say hello Drago."

* * *

'Dall, I wish you were here right now. Well, you know, I always wish you were here, but I could really use your help at the moment.'

She looked over at the sleeping kid, absently chewing her lower lip, playing with the pencil in her hand.

'One part of me wants to run, as fast and far as possible. A huge part of me, to be honest. That part doesn't care about daddy and papa. Or anyone else. It only wants peace. Death. I know that there's nothing there after death, but nothing sounds a lot easier than _this_ right here. After I took those pills, just as I was about to slip away, that's the happiest I felt ever since you left.'

Sighing frustrated, she rubbed her eyes, willing the tears to stay where they were. There had been too much crying over silly things lately. Crying over silly things was showing weakness and she didn't like to show weakness.

'There is another part of me, though, who wants to take on this challenge. Who wants to be there for Drago, wrap my arms around him and keep him safe. That's how parents are supposed to feel about their kids, I guess. Can you imagine? Me, a _parent_?'

At that she had to chuckle, remembering the times when her and her brother had planned Dallin's future, one time with that cute girl from school, another time with the hot math teacher, but always including children. There had never been a doubt in the boy's mind that he would want to have kids someday. Her not so much. Not at all, actually.

'Every time I look at Drago, all I see is _him_. It frightens me and it makes me feel stupid. Drago never even met his father, he _isn't_ his father. But somehow, that doesn't make things any easier. I don't want to remember, I want to forget.'

The boy stirred slightly, mumbling something in his sleep, unconsciously grabbing the stuffed fox and burying his face in it. A fond smile spread across her face.

'You would know what to say, how to make me feel better. You always did. I have Ianto now, though I have no idea how that happened. But no one could ever fill the hole you left. It's much better with Yanni, but it's not the same. I miss you so much, frer'im.'

The pencil broke between her fingers and she choked, unable to keep herself from crying. Cursing under her breath, she reached for another pen.

'You know, at first I only got up because I was annoyed. He'd been crying throughout the whole night, waking me up every other hour. But when I saw him, eyes red, nose running, looking absolutely lost, I just _had_ to pick him up. I mean, I'm not a monster. Holding him feels so good, like he is a part of me. Which is technically true, I suppose. He is so tiny, so fragile and he needs me. But Dall, what if I'm not good enough? What if I screw him up completely? What if he grows up to resent me?'

She looked over when they boy called out, scared for a second until he spotted her. A relieved smile spread across his face and he held his arms out to her, eyes wide and pleading.

With a grin, Ria crumpled up the piece of paper, burning it up in her hand, much to Drago's amusement. "I'll always love you, Dall." she whispered before moving over to the bed, pulling her son into her arms.

* * *

"Morning." Ria yawned, smiling at Drago, who was trying to climb on top of her and started to babble happily when he heard her voice.

"Come here." she grinned, quickly grabbing the child, pulling him under the covers and into her arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

The boy shrugged, lowering his gaze and pressing his face against her shoulder.

"Did you have a bad dream?" she frowned, softly stroking his head. She hadn't noticed him being restless during the part of the night he had spent in her bed. "What's wrong, then?" she asked when he shook his head.

Reaching up, he took hold of a strand of her hair and started playing with it, obviously avoiding the question.

Sighing, Ria sat up and crossed her legs, settling Drago opposite her, brushing his hair back. She had to do something about that, it kept falling in his eyes. "All right, spill it little one. What's bothering you?"

Covering his face with his hands, the boy shook his head again.

"Are you scared?" At that he nodded. "What are you afraid of?"

He shyly peeked through his fingers before removing his hands and pointing at the girl.

"You...you're scared of me?" Ria whispered, starting to feel guilty, even though she didn't know what she'd done to frighten the boy.

"No!" Drago exclaimed quickly, climbing into his mother's lap, nuzzling himself against her.

Surprised at the use of actual words - or _an_ actual word, to be precise - Ria found herself speechless for a moment.

Obviously pleased with himself for talking, the boy grinned up at Ria and placed a hand on her cheek, asking for permission to show her something he couldn't put into words.

"Go ahead." she smiled, caressing his head.

Nodding, Drago searched for the right memory before transporting them both back to the previous evening and the moment Ria had pushed him away after him mentioning his father. What she hadn't known at that time was how bad the boy had felt for making her upset, it was only now he was showing her that she realised why he seemed so gloomy this morning.

"You're scared because you made me sad?" she gasped, hugging him a little tighter when he nodded. "It's all right, don't worry about it, solyeil." she soothed when his lower lip began to tremble. "You didn't do anything wrong. You can't do anything wrong, you're my baby."

With a grunt of protest he began to squirm in her arms.

"What, you're not a baby?" she laughed and he nodded, a perfect pout in place. With another laugh, she let herself fall back on the bed, pulling the boy on top of herself, tickling his sides.

"No!" the boy giggled and squirmed, kicking his legs and flailing his arms.

She stopped the playing when her back started to ache, silently cursing that bloody warrior. Once again she pulled Drago close to her, hugging him tightly. She wouldn't have believed it, but she loved the little boy more than she would have thought was humanly possible. Sure, getting used to the fact that he was in fact her son would take some time, but there was no rush. He seemed happy enough for now. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Drago started talking again.

"Bad man." he said with some difficulty, making it sound more like bald man. Which didn't make a lot of sense, though.

"Who's a bad man?" Ria frowned and got her answer in the form of another set of memories, or rather emotions. Loneliness, pain, hurt, anger, fear, defeat. Drago had registered all her suffering, even before he'd been born, somehow making the connection between that and her reaction when he had asked about his father.

"Mummy, no!" he pleaded desperately when tears started to roll down her cheeks and tried to wipe them away with a corner of the blanket.

"It's fine, don't worry." she reassured him, burying her face in his hair. "I'm not angry with you, I'm going to be fine."

"Sad?" he asked, blinking his eyes at her.

"Yes, yes I'm sad."

"Bad man?"

"Because of the bad man, yes."

"No sad. Mummy no sad!" he demanded through his own tears, moving as close to her as possible.

"The sad will go away eventually, little one." she smiled, rubbing her eyes.

"Now!" he demanded again, causing Ria to let out a gurgled laugh.

"All right, no more sad. No more tears." she stated firmly, brushing the wetness away from his cheeks, smiling again when he tried to copy her.

"No more sad." Drago agreed, stretching and placing a kiss on his mother's forehead.

* * *

Ianto couldn't help himself, he had to 'Aww!' at the sight that greeted him when he carefully opened Ria's door and peeked into the room. "Don't say a word!" he whispered to Jack, who was grinning like an idiot but held up his hands in defence.

"Wasn't going to."

"As if you'd pass up an opportunity to tease me for acting girly."

"True." the Captain smirked, causing his lover to roll his eyes at him. "It is a little aww, though." he admitted, sneaking his hands around the younger man's waist, placing his chin on his shoulder.

Ria was lying on her bed, curled up around Drago, who was snuggled up to her, one hand tightly clasping her shirt. They had fallen asleep again after their conversation in the morning, enjoying the newly discovered closeness they shared.

"This is going way better than I anticipated." Ianto observed happily, leaning back against Jack.

"For now. You know her," Jack sighed "this could turn around 180 degrees at any given time."

"I don't believe it will." the younger man said with a firmly.

"And why is that?" the immortal chuckled, nibbling on his ear.

"She's happy, content. Not well yet, but getting there." he smiled. "I can sense it now." he added when the older man frowned at him.

"And I can sense if you're getting horny, so cut it out!" Ria groaned, a grin still clearly audible in her voice.

"She's just winding you up." Jack laughed at the shock on Ianto's face.

"Am I, now?" the girl continued to tease, sitting up and yawning.

"Stop it, you're making him blush."

"You like it when he does!"

"Okay, both of you, stop this right now!" Ianto spoke up in a tone that left it very clear how serious he was about it. "All right then, would you like some breakfast? God knows when the last time was that he ate something." he said, looking at Drago concerned.

"We'll be right down." Ria smiled, running a hand over the boy's back. "And I wasn't bluffing!" she yelled after them with a smirk.

* * *

Jack was watching John, who seemed very edgy - which was a good sign in his current situation- when Ria entered the dining room, Drago clinging to her side, lazily blinking his eyes.

"Morning." she yawned, placing a kiss in Jack's hair and one on John's cheek, raising an eyebrow when the younger Captain didn't respond, noticing the tremble in his hands. She shared a worried look with Jack, who just shrugged sadly, knowing that they couldn't really do anything do move the process along.

"What do you want to eat?" Ianto asked from the kitchen, preparing scrambled eggs for himself and the Captains while Tael was sitting on the counter with a bowl of cereal in his lap, keeping the archivist company.

Ria had to smile at that, it was nice to see her boyfriend getting along with her family. But then again, everybody liked Ianto. "Nothing for me just yet, thanks." she said, rolling her eyes when Jack looked at her pointedly.

"What about Drago?" Ianto continued.

At that she frowned, not sure if he actually knew any Earth food. "Here, solyeil, sit with John for a moment, yeah?" she smiled at the boy, placing him in the very surprised and slightly pissed of man's lap.

"Maybe I should..." Jack began, seeing the discomfort on John's face. He stopped when he noticed her grin and realised that she'd handed him the child on purpose in an attempt to distract him from whatever else was going through his mind right now.

"They'll be fine." she waved him aside and moved to the kitchen, embracing Ianto and finally kissing Tael before opening the fridge.

The immortal turned back to John, who had slipped into full dad - or actually granddad - mode in a matter of seconds. Smiling, Jack watched him make silly faces that caused Drago to giggle and clap his hands. They were both a little surprised when they boy stood up on John's knees and flung his arms around the men's neck, pressing a little kiss to his cheek and resting his head on his shoulder. Grinning at the immortal in a 'He likes me better than you!' way, John kissed the top of Drago's head, carefully supporting his back so he wouldn't fall over. The younger Captain had always been especially good with children and Jack had always been a little jealous of that.

"Don't worry, dad, he adores everybody." Ria laughed at the slight pout on Jack's face, picking the boy up and setting him down again in the immortal's lap.

"No, no like bad man!" Drago protested immediately, snuggling against Jack's chest, grabbing one of his suspenders.

"Bad man?" John wanted to know, quirking an eyebrow.

'Later' Ria mouthed, sitting down next to Jack and Drago, setting a plate with a sliced up apple and banana as well as two shot glasses, one filled with milk and one with juice, down on the table. "What? It's not like he can hold a mug now, is it?" she shrugged when the men laughed at her choice of drinking vessels.

"She's got a point there." Ianto defended her, joining them at the table with Tael. "And I thought he couldn't speak?"

"Technically, that's not what I said. I only mentioned that he _doesn't_ talk." came the Doctor's voice from the door. "Now, Captain Jack Harkness, having breakfast with his family. Not a sight I thought I would ever see." he laughed, sitting down in an empty chair next to Ianto, who kept glaring at him.

_[You are not really his favourite person. After leaving Jack behind and all that, you know?]_ Ria said, looking from the Time Lord to her soul mate.

The Doctor nodded knowingly, his eyes automatically wandering over to the immortal. [_He is happy, though, isn't he?]_ he asked, making it very clear that he did feel bad about that incident.

_[He is now.]_ she smiled and nodded.

"Oi, are you talking about us?" Jack exclaimed in mock anger, causing them to grin at each other.

"You don't need to know everything, dad." Ria winked at him, pulling Drago in her own lap. "Are you hungry?" she asked and his stomach growled in response. "I'll take that as a yes." she grinned, picking up a piece of apple and offering it to him.

Confused, the boy smelled at the food, frowning up at his mother.

"You'll like it, I promise." she smiled and he carefully took a bite, clapping his hands at the sweetness of it. "Told you it's tasty." she laughed, pulling the plate and glasses closer. Drago immediately reached for them and began to eat happily, babbling between bites and feeding every other piece to Ria, who thanked him nicely and ate them, unable to suppress the grin forming on her lips.

The next hour passed quickly with everyone chatting, Jack and the Doctor catching up and all the men cooing over Drago - who seemed to love the attention - causing Ria to roll her eyes every so often. She zoned out after a while, just watching the people she loved most, gathered around a table, laughing and enjoying their breakfast like it was the most normal thing in the world. Which it probably was, for most people who weren't connected to Torchwood, but for them, it was bizarrely unusual. And she loved it. It was a discussion between the Doctor and her father that brought her back to the room.

"I was just saying hello to him!" Jack groaned, throwing his hands in the air.

"For you, that's flirting!" the Doctor insisted, a grin playing on his lips.

"True." John and Ianto said in unison and started to laugh, joined by Tael.

"Fine, go on then!" the immortal began to pout. "Team up on me."

"Stop acting like a grumpy child, it's not very attractive." Ianto smirked, only causing them all to laugh even more and Jack to stubbornly cross his arms in front of his chest.

"He is right, you know, that's one look you can't pull off." John teased, winking at Drago, who was back in his lap, nuzzled against his chest.

"Come on, don't be like that." Ianto sighed and moved in for a kiss, not at all surprised when the immortal immediately grabbed his head and deepened the kiss, grinning against his lips.

"Ooooooh!" Drago exclaimed excitedly, making smoochie noises and clapping his hands, effectively bringing their attention back to him.

"He's most definitely a Harkness." the Doctor laughed at the boy's smug and satisfied expression, ruffling his hair.

John was about to protest and point out that he was more of a Hart, going by the good looks, when a light that they had all grown to dislike very much appeared and a tall man stepped out of it and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

"We need a security field." the younger Captain groaned, his weapon already pointed between the newcomer's eyes.

"Who are you?" Jack demanded, his own Webley drawn and aimed at the intruder. To his sides, Ianto and Tael had done the same, Ria had grabbed her sai and the Doctor had his Sonic Screwdriver ready, just in case.

"Dorian? Dorian Hart?" the man choked out and began to cough, his eyes fixed on Ria, one hand pressed to a wound on his side.

"Who are you?" Jack repeated, narrowing his eyes.

"You have to get out of here, they're coming, they..." the stranger manages to say before he collapsed to the floor unconscious.

"He's telling the truth, something is coming." the Doctor confirmed, frowning at his screwdriver, shaking it and holding it to his ear.

They barely had time to move when a loud crash came from the living room, followed by a series of commands in commonspeak.

There was one look shared between Jack, Ria and the Doctor and the Time Lord nodded and grabbed the confused Drago, quickly vanishing out the back door to the yard where the TARDIS was parked. Just as the door closed behind him, four men stormed into the dining room and a bullet flew through the air, piercing Jack's skull, killing him before he even hit the floor.

"Take the ones with the gene, kill the rest." one of the men, the one who had shot Jack and was obviously the leader, barked.

A hail of bullets descended upon Ria and the men, falling to ground with loud 'clinks' when they hit her field.

"Agent Lee!" the leader hissed and one of the other men raised a hand, causing Ria laugh.

"Is that all you got?" she smirked at his scared expression. "Ready?" she asked, looking at the men beside her.

"Oh, I'm ready!" John said, his eyes glistening dangerously, his body aching from the withdrawal and ready for a good fight.

"I'll take the one on the left." Tael grinned, running his tongue over his teeth.

"Ianto, the one on the right. John, the one next to him. Leave the bossy bastard to me." Ria said, the same wicked expression on her face as when they'd encountered the warrior. "GO!" she yelled and charged at her target, ducking a bullet and a punch, throwing the man to the ground.

Next to her, John had already taken out his target with a perfect shot - good aim ran in the Hart family - and was wrestling with the big guy on the left while Tael was dealing blows.

Meanwhile, Ianto had effectively broken his guy's nose with the handle of his gun. But he moved his focus away from the man when he heard a pained shout from Ria. This was enough for the attacker to break free, throw the archivist against the wall and aim his gun.

"NO!" John yelled, moving away from his guy and jumping at the man, but he was a fraction of a second too late, hitting him just as he pulled the trigger. Time seemed to stop and they watched in horror as the bullet flew towards Ianto and hit his neck, sending him flying to the ground, blood rapidly staining the floor.

A second shot was fired, followed by a third, fourth and fifth, all from John's gun right into the head of Ianto's attacker.

A crack from the other side of the room indicated that Tael had snapped the big guy's neck, so all that was left was the leader, who was on his back with Ria sitting on top of him, one hand on his throat, her knees pressing his arms to the ground.

"Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" she yelled, fury flaming in her eyes.

"I...I will...tell you...nothing..." the man gurgled.

"Talk!" the girl demanded, ramming one of her sai through his right hand, causing him to cry out. "Still nothing?" she asked when he didn't respond and repeated the process with his left hand.

"We don't have time for this. Ianto..." John said, desperately pressing a towel to the younger man's neck, whispering calming words while cradling him in his lap.

"The TARDIS, hurry!" Ria commanded before turning back to the man beneath her. "We'll continue this later." she hissed, took hold of John's abandoned gun, knocking it over his head. "Take everyone, including the corpses." she whispered to Tael, crawling over to Jack, still dead and cold. "I'm sorry, dad." she managed to say, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. Normality really just didn't exist with Torchwood.

* * *

"Do something, you bloody fucking idiot!" Ria yelled furiously, cowering next to the unconscious Ianto.

"The TARDIS is doing her best and he's getting your blood..." the Doctor tried, making her even angrier.

"It is not enough! He's dying!"

"Baby, try and calm down." John begged, pressing a gauze to a deep cut on his forehead.

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down!" the girl hollered, glaring at her father. "And you!" she hissed, pointing up at the ceiling. "If you let him die, I will pull you apart, piece by piece until you're nothing but scrap!"

"Threatening my ship won't help, Dorian."

"SHUT UP! Shut the hell up!"

"Love, please." Tael tried his luck, cringing when her gaze fell on him. "They are trying..."

"HE CANNOT DIE!" she fumed, flames starting to appear all over her body, her eyes filled with rage that scared even the Time Lord.

"Dorian, listen to me." the Doctor said, trying hard to keep his voice low and calm. "We are doing everything we can. But I need you to calm down, you are hurting Ianto."

At that she looked down at her arm, the tube that had transported her blood to Ianto scorched, the red liquid purposelessly dropping to the floor. With a sigh, she sat back down in the chair next to the operating table and the fire vanished.

"Thank you." the Doctor smiled, quickly fixing a new tube to keep Ianto sustained with fresh blood. "We must get back to your hub immediately, your doctor is better suited to attend Ianto's needs."

"Drop us off and then get Tosh, Gwen and Rhys. After that check on Ianto's family and Alice. We have to keep them safe, just in case." Ria commanded without looking up from Ianto.

"They don't know me, maybe one of you..."

"You are a _Time Lord_ with a fucking time machine, you'll manage!" she hissed and the Doctor nodded, not daring to protest.

* * *

"So you don't know what kind of poison this is either?" Owen sighed, looking at the Time Lord with a resigned expression that he couldn't hide completely.

"I'm afraid not." the Doctor said sadly, his eyes fixed on Ria, sitting on the edge of the bed, carefully holding one of Ianto's hands. "And it's the same that caused her wounds?" he asked, finally looking at Owen.

"Yes, definitely. It's just a lot less critical in her case."

"Undoubtedly, yes. Owen, there is nothing I can do. I wish there was, but..."

"I know." the Torchwood doctor whispered, rubbing his face. The damage from the bullet would have been bad enough on its own, but together with the unknown substance it had been laced with, there was barely a chance that Ianto would make it out of this alive. The poison was destroying him from inside out, slowly eating away on his muscles and bones.

Ria was only half following their conversation. She wasn't an idiot, she had put the pieces together herself, but she blatantly refused to accept the facts.

"You can't leave, Yanni." she croaked out, softly stroking his hand. "I need you. Jack needs you. Shit, we all do. We don't even know how to use the coffee machine." she laughed desperately, ignoring her own pain.

The Doctor and Owen watched her, concern written all over both men's faces, scared what she'd do when it came to the worst, worrying what would happen to Jack if he lost both Ianto and his daughter. Again.

"Here." the girl said after a while, taking the wrist strap from her own arm and fixing it on the archivist's. "It's the last one I have. Jack will give me back mine and we'll travel, all of us together, yeah?" she cried, brushing some hair out of his face. "Party with Judas Priest, how does that sound? Watch da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa? John says he's an amazing storyteller. Please, Yanni, you just have to wake up. _Please_!"

The two men watched her, weeping and pleading, neither of them able to do or say anything, because there really wasn't anything to be said or done. It was Owen who finally decided to intervene.

"Sweetheart, I should have a look at your injuries as well." he smiled down at her, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it gently.

"I'm fine." Ria insisted, her eyes never leaving Ianto's face.

"It will only take a second. Please, it looks pretty nasty." Owen tried again, wincing at the piece of skin and flesh ripped out of her cheek, hanging loosely on just a few strings of skin and muscle.

"The nanogenes!" she exclaimed suddenly and jumped up. "We can use them, right?"

"They are already programmed to my DNA, remember?"

"But...there must be something you can do?" she asked, looking at the Doctor with wide, hopeful eyes.

"I'm afraid not." the Time Lord sighed, reaching out to her.

"Don't!" she hissed, moving away. "There must be something? Anything? _Do something_!" she yelled desperately, all but slumping against the Doctor when he closed his arms around her, sobbing into his shoulder.

The Time Lord looked up when John entered the room, nervously flexing his fingers.

"Is Jack still out?" the Captain asked and Owen nodded, motioning towards the recovery room. "Baby, one of our guests is waking up." he added, not sure if he should be telling her this in her current condition, knowing she would probably strangle him if he didn't.

"Which one?" Ria demanded, whirling around.

"The one who warned us."

"I'll talk to him." she decided but was held back firmly by the Doctor.

"You're hurt."

"Not you too." the girl groaned, yanking her arm away. "It's just a scratch." she hissed, but took a band aid on her way out to at least get a few minutes until they'd start annoying her again about it.

"Baby, wait!" John yelled after her, quickly following her. "Maybe you shouldn't...on your own and..."

"Coming along, then?" she grinned.

The Captain rolled his eyes, unable not to grin back. Maybe it was a good thing that Jack hadn't woken up yet.

* * *

"Dorian!" the man exclaimed relieved when the girl and John entered the cells. "It really is you, isn't it?"

"Do I know you?" Ria demanded, crossing her arms and tilting her head.

"No, you don't. But I've heard all about you." he winked.

"Enough with the cryptic shit, who the fuck are you?" John hissed, losing his patience and banging the glass of the man's cell.

"Well, who the fuck are _you_?" the prisoner asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is not a game! I'm going to break every single one of your bones if you don't start talking right now!"

"Seriously, stop this or you're going to wait outside!" Ria groaned, holding up her hand when John tried to protest. "Shut it! And you," she said, turning back to the man in the cell "who are you?"

"Blaze. Blaze Knightly, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, love." he smiled broadly, reaching through one of the holes in the glass with two fingers.

"Prove it!" the girl insisted, linking her fingers with his.

"Dorian, don't you dare!" John warned, indicating at their contact. "You never know what..."

But it was too late, the girl had already pushed the buttons to open the cell and Blaze was stepping outside, curiously looking at her.

"I'm...you know...about Sam...I'm so sorry." she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault, love. He was brave and loyal, that's part of why I loved him so much." the man smiled, cupping her cheek and making her cringe. "Sorry, I didn't think." he apologised and was more than a little surprised when Ria all but jumped at him, throwing her arms around his neck, her feet dangling in the air.

"I'm still sorry." she mumbled.

"I know you are." Blaze sighed, closing his arms around her. "And that's not how I normally meet people, just so you know." he grinned at John, who was watching them, remembering how bad his daughter felt about the whole mess with Sam.

"How did you know those guys were coming for us?" the Captain asked suspiciously.

"I've been watching them, ever since Sam. This helped." he said, showing the Vortex Manipulator around his wrist. "Was a bitch to figure out on my own."

"Where did you get that?" John wanted to know, glaring at him.

"Off the body of my dead husband." Blaze said coolly, meeting his eyes and glaring back until John looked away, muttering an apology. "Now, love, do you think there's something to eat around here? I'm starving." he asked, setting Ria back down.

"I think there's some leftover pizza we can reheat." the girl smiled, suppressing an annoyed eyeroll when John protectively threw an arm over her shoulder, pulling her close.

"Pi...zza?" Blaze asked confused.

"Oh, you'll like it." Ria laughed, causing even her father to crack a little smile.

* * *

"This is delicious!" Blaze noted happily, shoving a whole slice of mushroom pizza in his mouth, grinning like an idiot.

"You've really never had this before?" Rhys wondered, balancing Drago on his knees, helping him with a piece of pasta. Gwen looked at them with mixed feelings. It was nice to see her husband getting along so well with children, but she didn't think it was a good idea to feed the boy junk food. Ria and John had waved her concerns aside, though, pointing out that he was half Quareen. Which didn't really do much to help her understand, but after an angry discussion with the Captain, she had given up.

"He's not from this century, remember? Not even from this galaxy." John reminded them, laughing when Blaze quickly reached for his drink, realising how hot the cheese was.

"I don't think I could live in a galaxy without pizza." Tosh giggled, blushing when Blaze winked at her.

Owen just sat beside them, looking grumpy as usual when people were eating around him. None of them besides the Time Lord noticed Ria slipping away to check on Ianto before moving over to the recovery room and lying down next to Jack, who was bound to come back any time soon. And as if on cue, the immortal jerked awake with a sharp intake of air, relaxing when he recognized his daughter holding and soothing him.

"What happened?" he asked, still a little groggy and confused. "No, wait, I remember! Are you all right, lun'â?" he wanted to know, quickly running his eyes over the girl.

"Yes, I'm fine, dad. Just a few scratches." she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Not even close.

"The others?"

"Nothing can kill John, he's like weed." she grinned half-heartedly. "He got a cut on his forehead and his shoulder was dislocated. Tael has a broken wrist, but he's going to be fine. He went back to the club to talk to his contacts and get some supplies. Maybe someone knows something about the attack."

"That's good." Jack smiled weakly, leaning into the girl. "What about Ianto, where is he?" he asked, instantly getting worried when he felt his daughter stiffen. "Where is Ianto?" he demanded.

"Dad..." Ria winced, trying and failing to hold the still weak man down.

"_What happened to Ianto? Where is he?_" the immortal yelled, frowning when he heard the rest of the team laughing outside.

"He...he got shot."

"Where?"

"Neck."

"We can fix things like that."

"Poisoned bullets."

"What kind of poison?"

"Same as the one from the warrior."

"Oh." Jack sat back down on the bed with a thump, an empty expression on his face, white as a sheet.

"Dad, he is...he is weak. Owen says he won't..." Ria managed to choke out, fighting to hold back tears.

"NO!" the Captain growled and jumped up again, storming out of the recovery room, startling his team.

"Jack, you're awake!" Gwen smiled happily.

"_Shut up_! What are you all doing?"

"Eating?!" John offered, rolling his eyes.

"Ianto is...and you...you are sitting here, _laughing_, _having a blast_..." Jack stammered, unable to control the anger in his voice. "How can you?"

"Jack, we are worried as well, we love Ianto. But..." Toshiko tried, but couldn't even finish before their Captain had run off to the med bay, Ria on his heels.

"This is not going to end well." the Time Lord sighed.

"What's he going to do? Yell and rage for a while, maybe." Owen shrugged. "Look, I'm working on it." he added at the disapproving looks, waving his tablet. "I don't want to lose teaboy either."

"What are you...?" Gwen asked when the immortal and his daughter sprinted by them again, heading for the lower levels.

"Oh fuck!" John exclaimed, throwing his food aside and running after them.

The rest of the team and Blaze shared a confused look before getting up and following them. John was hammering against the cell their second prisoner was in, shouting for Jack and Ria to come to their senses, which didn't seem to have much of an effect on them.

"Open the freakin' cell!" the younger of the Captain's demanded as soon as he spotted Tosh.

"They locked it." she sighed, typing away on her own tablet.

"What are they doing?" Gwen mused, moving to stand in front of the cell too.

"What do you think, you idiot?" John hissed, still banging against the glass.

Confused, the team came closer, gaping at the sight in front of them. The prisoner was pinned up against the wall, held up by Jack's hand around his throat, whimpering in pain while the girl and the immortal stood there, eyes locked, obviously contemplating what to do with the man.

"Good God!" Tosh whispered, clasping a hand to her mouth.

"He...he wouldn't do anything..." Gwen stammered.

"You think _I_ am dangerous when I'm irrational with anger?" John asked, shooting them a pointed look. "Then you've definitely never seen Jack in such a state."

They all turned their heads to the events in the cell when the prisoner started to cry out in pain, Ria's hand pressed to his chest, making his skin scorch and smoke, rapidly filling the room with the smell of burnt flesh.

"Holy fuck!" Owen exclaimed surprised, quickly shooing a shocked Rhys and Drago out of the room.

* * *

**A/N:** Please leave comments and tell me what you thought!

Solyeil = sunshine


	32. The Miracle

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter for you lovely readers. Thanks again to everyone who has been leaving comments or wrote me a message, I REALLY appreciate it. And now, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Summary:** The team flees to the hub and Ianto is badly hurt. What they need right now is a bloody miracle.

* * *

**Warnings:** swearing, violence / torture, smut and slash

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six - The Miracle**

The overall mood in the hub was tense, to say the very least. Ria was curled up on the couch in Jack's office with Drago, unable to fall asleep, always fearing that Ianto could take a turn for the worse and slip away if she closed her eyes. Toshiko was at her station, trying to keep herself busy and her mind away from the world falling apart around them all. John, Blaze, Rhys and Tael - who had come back without news, but with a huge amount of supplies - were sitting on the floor somewhere in the main area, playing cards without any of them uttering a single word, each of them in their own thoughts. Gwen had fallen asleep on her desk, snoring softly while Owen was cursing at his tablet, looking over Ianto's result for what felt like the thousandth time, trying to find something he'd previously missed. None of them had seen the Time Lord for quite a while, not since he'd vanished somewhere on the lower levels after the incident with their prisoner earlier.

* * *

"Jackie, please don't do this, you're going to regret it!" John shouted but was ignored.

"Tosh, what about the door?" Gwen asked nervously, pacing around in front of the cell.

"Give me one more moment...there we go!" Toshiko sighed relieved when the cell door sprung open.

"Don't bother." Jack said absently and they realised what he was talking about when they were stopped from entering by an invisible wall.

"Ria, stop it!" Tosh pleaded, only causing the girl to snort with hysterical laughter.

"Why? Why should I?" she demanded, glaring out at them before returning her attention to the man, moving her hand down his chest, leaving a trail of blisters.

"Because you don't want to do this, baby."

"Shut up, dad!"

"Jack, please, come to your senses!" Gwen tried again. "He won't be able to tell us anything if you..."

"He won't tell us anything anyway. I know his kind." the immortal hissed, staring at their prisoner in disgust.

"They really are going to do it, aren't they?" Owen asked disbelievingly.

"No, they are not." the Doctor spoke up, quickly ushering the team aside and taking out his sonic screwdriver. "I'm sorry about this, Dorian." he said and pushed a button on it, causing the girl to clasp her head and scream before falling to the floor unconscious. "Get Jack away."

* * *

It had taken both John and Blaze to haul the immortal out of the cell and back up to the main area. He had screamed and kicked, hitting John's already broken nose, earning himself a fist to the stomach. As soon as they had let him go, he stormed off to the med bay where he still was now, no one daring to go near him.

Jack was barely registering the things around him, his full attention on Ianto, lying on the med table, pale and broken. He ran his finger over the lifeless hand again, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Wake up, please." he whispered before the tears took over again and he slumped against the table, burying his face in his arms.

{oOo}

_"What time is it?" Ianto groaned, opening one eye to look at the man next to him._

_"About three in the morning. Go back to sleep." Jack smiled, settling himself under the covers._

_"Why are you here?" the younger man mumbled sleepily._

_"What? You don't want me in your bed?" the immortal teased._

_"Funny." Ianto said flatly. "The only times you actually stay the night are when something's up and you need some comfort instead of a random shag."_

_"That's not true!"_

_"Yes it is. So, what's up?"_

_"Nothing." Jack lied._

_"Fine, suit yourself." Ianto shrugged, closing his eyes again and nuzzling himself back against the pillows._

_The Captain stared at Ianto's back for a while, unsure of what do to. He had come here with the intention of a good night's sleep, curled up around the Welshman and to leave again before he even noticed he was there. Which had always worked in the past, since the younger man was quite a heavy sleeper. He should have realised today was different when he'd found the stove still warm, a half empty cup of tea on the counter. Curious to what had kept the archivist up, Jack moved to lie behind him, throwing one arm over him and pulling him close against his chest._

_"Everything all right with you?" he asked, placing tiny kisses on the back of his neck._

_"Mhhhmm..." Ianto mumbled, trying hard not to drift off to sleep again._

_"Why were you up so late?"_

_"Couldn't sleep."_

_"Figured that. Why not?"_

_"Doesn't matter."_

_"It does to me." Jack insisted and could almost hear Ianto rolling his eyes. "I'm serious. What's bothering you?" he wanted to know and turned the other man around so he was facing him._

_"It's just...some bad dreams. But it's not important." Ianto shrugged sheepishly, blushing at his confession._

_"I never noticed you having trouble sleeping." Jack mused, studying his face._

_"They're not as bad when you're around." the archivist blurted out, turning even redder when he realised what he'd done and burying his face in the older man's chest._

_"Good thing I'm here then." the immortal laughed, cupping Ianto's cheek, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips before turning on to his back and pulling him against him._

_Smiling, Ianto rested his head on Jack's chest, softly stroking his side with one hand. "You still haven't told me why you're here." he pointed out._

_'Because I met this hot guy in a bar and he invited me back to his place but all I could think about was you. Your touch, your smell, your hands on my body and your lips on mine. Because I missed you like crazy, even though we saw each other only a couple of hours ago.' "Your bed is more comfortable than mine."_

_"Idiot." Ianto chuckled and yawned, soon dozing off again. He was surprised to find the immortal cuddled up to him when he woke up the following morning. That had never happened before. It was nice, though._

{oOo}

"That was almost two years ago. I haven't been with anyone else since, never felt the need to. I know you don't believe that, but it's true." Jack laughed bitterly, brushing some hair out of Ianto's face. "It has been only you ever since. And it will be only you for the rest of time. Please Yan, you have to come back to me. I never even told you how much I love you." he croaked, his voice breaking. "I love you, Ianto Jones. Please, _please_ don't leave me."

* * *

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" Ria asked, still lying on the couch, one arm over her face to block out the lights from outside the office.

"Wasn't sure if you were awake." Tael said embarrassed, taking a step closer and sitting down at her feet. "Where's Drago?"

"Gwen took him and is probably cooing over him like an idiot. I already feel bad for her child." the girl said, a slight grin audible in her voice.

"She's a little overbearing." the alien chuckled. "I actually came up here to see how you were doing." he added in a more serious tone.

"Not especially good." she sighed, removing her arm, looking up at him with wet red eyes.

"I figured. Is there something I can do, love?"

Taking the man by surprise, Ria pulled him on top of herself and into a demanding kiss, moving her hips against his, her hands quickly finding their way under his shirt to caress his back.

"Dorian, I don't..."

"Please." she breathed against his lips, pressing herself against him again, causing him to moan into the next kiss.

Tael had every intention of breaking things off at the first sight of discomfort from Ria's side, but that moment never came. Before he knew it, he was pushed back up in a sitting position and she was straddling him, pulling him out of his shirt and getting rid of what he noticed to be one of Ianto's hoodies she'd changed into. He expected her to finally move away when she felt his erection and was astonished to find quite the opposite happening.

Ria was placing kisses along the man's jaw until she reached his mouth again and started to teasingly nibble on his bottom lip. She moved one hand from his side down over his stomach to his pants, flicking the button open and pulling the zipper down as if she's been doing this regularly. She slipped the hand inside, curling it around his arousal, smiling when his breath hitched and a string of curses left his lips.

The alien grunted in protest when she got up, quickly shutting up and enjoying the view when she slipped out of her pants and the rest of her clothes, standing before him completely exposed and obviously enjoying the effect it had on him. She moved back over and crouched down before him, pulling his pants and underwear down, all the while mischievously smirking up at him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, still a little doubtful and worried.

"Haven't been so sure about something in a very long while." she smiled honestly.

{oOo}

"So, what was that?" Tael asked a while later, lying on the floor with the girl sprawled across him, breathing heavily. "An attempt to try and forget what kind of shit is going on out there, I suppose?!"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Did it work?"

"For a moment." she sighed, capturing his mouth in another quick kiss before getting up and retrieving her pants. "It was fun, though." she said, standing over him and grinning down at him.

"True." the alien grinned back, taking her wrist and pulling her on top of him again. "I love you." he smiled, softly caressing her face.

"I know."

"What a nice thing to say." he laughed, pressing his lips to hers and sneaking an arm around her back, hugging her close.

"Love you too." Ria smiled into the kiss, protesting when he pulled away. "What?"

"Your back."

She proceeded to look over her shoulder, groaning when she saw the warrior cuts bleeding again. "This is getting annoying."

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't have..."

"Oh, shut up! I'll live." she shrugged and got up, offering him a hand. "So, do you think John likes you enough now that you can sleep with his daughter without getting punched in the face?" she smirked, pulling on the hoodie.

"He doesn't have to know. Wait, you're not going to tell him, are you?"

"Won't have to. Look at you." she laughed, motioning to their reflection in the glass door. He was covered in hickeys and scratches which were unmistakably from their recent activities and impossible to hide.

"That's just great." Tael groaned, picking up his clothes.

* * *

Jack was watching the blood, slowly moving from the IV bag down the tube and into Ianto's arm. They needed a miracle and he didn't believe in miracles. But there had to be something he could do. He couldn't just accept the fact that the man he loved was dying in right in front of him, could he?

{oOo}

_"Hey, look! It's the poof from the flat upstairs." one of the teens yelled and laughed._

_"And he gots himself a boooooyfrieeeend!" another one exclaimed loudly, causing some pedestrians to turn their heads and stare._

_"Who are they?" Jack frowned, not failing to notice how Ianto was affected by their words, walking up the stairs to his door as fast as possible._

_"Just some neighbourhood kids. Ignore them."_

_"Things like this just now, how often do they happen?"_

_"Jack, really, it's fine. They're just kids."_

_"Were they the ones who scratched those lovely curses into the side of the SUV?"_

_"I don't know." Ianto sighed. "Probably." he added when Jack quirked an eyebrow at him._

_"We should..."_

_"Do absolutely nothing! I told you, let it go!" the younger man hissed, quickly pulling the Captain inside._

_The rest of the night was awkward, Ianto was obviously upset but refused to talk about it. And Jack got angrier by the minute, thinking of at least a hundred ways how to scare the living hell out of those stupid teenagers. When Ianto had finally gone to bed, lying and saying that he was having a headache, Jack slipped outside to go looking for the troublemakers. It was easy to find them, he only had to follow the empty beer cans and the awful rap music playing from someone's mobile phone. He reached an old worn down play ground after a couple of minutes and they boys from earlier recognised him immediately._

_"Oi, look! The poof's boyfriend." one of them bawled. "What are you doing here? None of us is into that kind of stuff, you old fag!"_

_Rolling his eyes, Jack slowly and calmly approached them. "You said some pretty mean things today."_

_"Yeah, so? What'cha gon' do about that? Hit me? I'm a minor."_

_"Hitting you? No, that wouldn't be very nice now, would it?" the immortal thought out loud, catching a tin can one of them had thrown out of the air, crushing it in his hand._

_"That supposed to be impressive or summin'?" one of the teens laughed, joined by the others._

_"Littering is no laughing matter." Jack said simply, disposing of the can in a nearby bin. "I want you to apologise."_

_"What? Are you crazy?" they laughed again and one of them, probably the 'leader', got up from a swing and walked up to Jack, their noses almost touching. "Why should we? What are you gon' do if we don't?" he asked cheekily._

_"This." the Captain smiled and pulled a small device out of his coat pocket._

_"What's that, then?" the teen wanted to know._

_"Doesn't concern you. You only have to know what it does." Jack explained and pushed a button on it._

_All four of the teens looked at him in horror, quickly scrambling away from him to the far side of the play ground._

_"What are...that's not real!" one of them stammered, looking at his friends who weren't of much help at the moment, pressing against the fence in an attempt to bring as much distance between themselves and the man._

_"Oh, it is very real." Jack said, his voice low and threatening. "It's called a Retnork. It's an alien. And it's hungry."_

_"That's only a projection!"_

_"Is it now?" the immortal asked, watching the big red creature stalk towards the scared boys, growling and snarling, the long tail whipping around dangerously. "Want to take that chance?"_

_"We gon' tell!"_

_"Tell who? The police? Do you think they'll believe you?"_

_"They have a special unit or summin', dealing with stuff like this." the one teen hiding behind the others piped up._

_"Yeah, exactly!" another one said, gaining back a little confidence. "Torchwood, in'it? We gon' call Torchwood!"_

_At that, Jack couldn't hold back anymore, he just had to laugh._

_"What's so funny?" the leader demanded._

_"If the police believes you, they'll probably call Torchwood. That much is true."_

_"Aha, told ya'!"_

_"I could just let my big fella here kill you right here and right now, though."_

_"Someone would ask questions. Our parents would call the coppers!"_

_"And Torchwood would show up, investigating the disappearance of four boys under mysterious circumstances. I see." the Captain said, pretending to be thinking about that while the alien slowly stalked around its prey._

_"Yeah, so you'll have to let us go, you see?" the leader exclaimed victoriously._

_"There's just one tiny flaw in that plan of yours."_

_"What's that?"_

_"I'm Torchwood." Jack grinned and the four boys turned white as ghosts, looking between him and the creature which was keeping its four eyes on them, licking over its fangs with a long black tongue._

_"What do ya want?" one of them finally managed to choke out._

_"An apology. No further harassment. Leave Ianto Jones alone."_

_"Sure, yeah, got it."_

_"Excellent. Run along then." Jack smiled innocently. He didn't have to say it twice, the boys turned on their heels, running as quickly as possible, tripping a few times until they were out of sight._

_"Idiots." the immortal laughed and pushed another button, making the creature disappear again. "I'll have to thank Tosh for that training program." he grinned to himself and made his way back to Ianto's flat._

_"You smell like outside." the archivist mumbled when Jack slipped into bed a little while later, protectively wrapping his arms around the younger man._

_"Went for a quick walk, needed to clear my head. How's yours?"_

_"Better."_

_"Good." the immortal smiled, placing a kiss on Ianto's forehead and settling them both in a comfortable position._

_The next morning, Ianto found an apology note and a small amount of cash in his mailbox. To pay for the damage done to the car it said. Jack just shrugged when he asked him about it, smirking to himself, whistling happily the whole way back to the hub. Ianto watched him curiously, wondering what in heaven's name he'd done to those boys to scare them like that, feeling a little guilty for being proud of the immortal._

{oOo}

"I wish this was as easy as scaring off a couple of stupid kids." Jack sighed, rubbing his face. He turned around when he heard a rustling sound behind him, the Time Lord descending the stairs and walking over to the pair of them.

"Any change?" he asked, scanning the unconscious figure with his screwdriver.

"None whatsoever."

They stared at each other for a couple of very uncomfortable moments until the immortal broke the silence.

"I'm not going to apologise, you know. I don't regret doing what I did. And frankly, I don't give a shit what you think about me or my actions. No one hurts the people I love and gets away with it."

"I know." the Doctor smiled, causing Jack to quirk an eyebrow at him. "I'm not angry with you, Jack. Not happy either, true, but I understand your actions. Even if I don't agree with them."

"Thanks?!" the Captain half stated half asked, making his friend smile.

"You love him very much." That wasn't a question. "Then again, I knew you did when you wouldn't shut up about him the last time we met." he grinned, nudging Jack's side with his elbow.

"Looks like everybody knew except me. And him." he added sadly, taking the Welshman's hand in his again.

"Oh, I'm sure he does." the Time Lord smiled reassuringly, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder and squeezing it gently.

* * *

"Owen, do you have a minute?" Ria asked, skipping down the stairs from Jack's office, barefoot and tying her tousled hair up in a bun, Tael trailing along behind her.

It took John less than a second to piece together what had just happened and with a grunt of disapproval he vanished down to the lower levels. He jogged through the corridors, cursing in all the languages he knew until he reached a dead end.

"That's just great." he murmured angrily and let himself slump to the ground, his head resting against the cold wall. He was afraid, even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone. He had lost Jack back all those years and Ianto was...no, they would find a way. And now he was in the process of losing his daughter to some boy that would probably break her heart. Which he knew wasn't true, Tael adored her. And he had grown to like the man. But he couldn't help himself, he didn't like this situation, he wanted his baby back, his little girl. Did all parents feel like that? With a growl, he started banging his head against the wall, only stopping when he started to feel dizzy. The fact that he was desperately craving another hit wasn't helping either. And Argo had been texting and calling for hours, demanding to know where he was.

"This sucks." he decided and was startled when someone flopped down next to him.

"What sucks?" Blaze asked, offering him a flask.

"None of your damn business." John snapped, taking the alcohol anyway.

They drank in silence for a while until the Captain noticed the other man staring at him with a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"What?"

"Nothing." Blaze shrugged and moved in closer, fiercely pressing his lips to the older man's, one hand on the back of his neck, the other already tucking his shirt out of his trousers.

"What the hell?" John protested, but didn't move away, simply frowning at the man.

"You looked like you could use a pick me up." Blaze breathed into another kiss, flipping the button of the Captain's pants open.

"I suppose I could." John smirked, pushing the other man away and flat on his back, straddling him. He ran his eyes over him, taking in his features. Dark brown skin, black hair, deep grey eyes. Probably from Kalkoun, then. High cheekbones, muscles visible under the tight shirt, dark red lips. 'Not bad.' he smiled to himself.

"Enjoying the view?" Blaze teased, propping himself up on his elbows, grinning up at the other man.

"Don't flatter yourself." John taunted, helping him out of his shirt. His eyes wandered to two rings, hanging around his neck on a thin silver necklace. Very careful he took them in his hand, smiling at the inscriptions. "You sure about this?" he asked, gesturing between himself and the man beneath him.

"He's gone, nothing I can do about that." Blaze said, trying and failing to sound indifferent. "Besides, I'm not the one fawning over my ex-boyfriend's man while still madly in love with said ex-boyfriend." he added, the cheeky grin returning.

"Touché." John laughed and leaned down, capturing the younger man's mouth in a deep kiss.

{oOo}

They were curled up around each other an hour later, lips lazily moving against lips, neither of them willing to move just yet. Blaze had his arms around John, holding him tightly as if he was scared to lose him if he let go and the Captain enjoyed the closeness, feeling warm and protected in the embrace of the much bigger man. They were both lost in thought, Blaze about Sam and John about Jack and Ianto, each taking as much comfort from this encounter as they could.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Jack asked with a sigh, watching the Doctor scurry around the med bay, muttering to himself under his breath.

"There has to be something. There always is something." he groaned frustrated, grabbing the immortal by the shoulders. "Seeing you hurting like this, again, it just about breaks my hearts, Jack."

"We will find a way to fix him." the Captain said with a half hearted smile.

"Yes! Yes we will. I will fix this, I promise. I won't let you down again." the Time Lord said confidently, pulling his friend into a hug and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

{oOo}

_"Ianto?" Jack called through the door of the archivist's flat. "Ianto, I know you're in there. Open the door. Please?" No reaction. "I'm sorry about last night." A soft click and the door unlocked._

_With a sigh of relief, Jack pushed it open just in time to see Ianto vanish into the bedroom. He quickly followed but stopped in the door, unsure about what to do. The Welshman was lying on the bed face down, wearing only a pair of sweatpants, his back exposed. Jack silently scolded himself, this wasn't the time to get aroused by the gorgeous...no, it really wasn't!_

_"Yan, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd mind."_

_"It's not just about the kiss, Jack." the younger man mumbled into his pillow._

_The immortal was at a loss for words again. The date hadn't gone too well to begin with, but everything had taken a turn for the worse after he had pressed a lingering kiss to the younger man's lips in the middle of the restaurant. He had completely forgotten about Ianto's shyness and the fact that he wasn't 'out' to anyone outside the hub. So naturally he'd figured that the kiss had been what had made him so angry as to leave their date right after dinner, skipping the movie and a walk through the park._

_"What is it, then?" he asked confused._

_"Nothing, it's fine. I just want to be alone. Please."_

_Ignoring Ianto, the Captain sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on the archivist's shoulder only to have it shrugged off immediately. "Talk to me, Yan."_

_"Where have you been, Jack?" Ianto demanded and turned around, his eyes red._

_"That doesn't matter..."_

_"Yes, it bloody well does!" the Welshman yelled angrily. "You vanished for months without so much as a goodbye. You left us alone, we didn't know what to do. And I...I missed you. I know this is just a casual thing, but you're not only a shag, you're my friend too, Jack. And I was worried. I was scared." he ranted, rubbing his face. "You could have called, at least, let us know you're all right and...what's wrong?" he wanted to know, seeing how the Captain had grown pale, tears rolling down his cheeks._

_"No, Ianto, I really couldn't. And..and I...I wasn't all right..." he croaked before his voice broke._

_"Jack, what happened to you?" Ianto asked carefully, surprised when the immortal flung himself in his arms, sobbing into his shoulder for a good thirty minutes before he managed to calm down a little, the sobs now only a slight hiccup._

_"I...I..." Jack stammered, but didn't know where to start._

_"It's all right, we don't have to talk about it." Ianto soothed, softly stroking the Captain's back, holding him close for comfort. He was surprised but didn't protest when Jack pushed him onto his back, towering over him for a moment before bringing their lips together. The kiss wasn't one of desire or lust, Ianto could feel the immortal looking for something else, for confirmation that he really was back, that he really was here, with the Welshman beneath him._

_Ianto had no idea how long they had been lying there, Jack on top of him, just kissing and being close. He grunted at the loss of contact when Jack rolled away, but had to smile when the older man looked at him pleadingly. Without hesitation, he wrapped himself around him and Jack hummed happily, nuzzling his head into the crook of Ianto's neck._

_"Jack?"_

_"Hmmm?"_

_"If...if you ever want...or need to talk about whatever happened to you...you know I'm here for you, right? I care about you. You're my friend." he added quickly, cursing himself for putting way too much feeling into this._

_"Thank you." Jack smiled against the younger man and they soon drifted off to sleep._

{oOo}

"Did you tell him? Any of them?" the Doctor wondered, sitting next to Jack, watching him run his thumb over Ianto's hand.

"Only him. And not everything."

"I'm sorry."

"I know." Jack sighed, resting his head on the Time Lord's shoulder, managing a small smile when he felt the weight of the Doctor's head on his own.

* * *

"You know, I should he angry with you for biting Gwen." Ria sighed, walking down to the bathroom with Drago settled on her hip. "But it is _really_ funny. Don't tell anyone I said that, though." she smirked and the boy nodded and sniggered. "Why did you do it anyway?"

"Annoying." Drago groaned, wrinkling his nose.

"Yeah, I get that." the girl laughed. "But you can't bite people just because they are annoying. No more biting, okay?"

At that the boy pouted, but nodded before resting his head on her shoulder.

They entered the bathroom to find one of the showers occupied by John, who didn't seem to notice them. Ria walked over to the big metal sink and set Drago down on the floor, quickly grabbing his shirt when he tried to run off.

"Oh no you don't!" she grinned and handed him a rubber ducky, wondering who the hell that belonged to.

Drago was distracted successfully and let himself fall to the ground, playing with the duck and laughing in delight when he squeezed it and it quacked.

Rolling her eyes, Ria started to fill the sink, pouring some of Tosh's all herbal shampoo into it. That was all right for a little kid, wasn't it? She looked down at the boy, still fascinated by his new toy, covered in dirt from head to toe. How he had managed to slip away and end up in the hot house was beyond her, but he had obviously enjoyed digging around in the soil.

"All right, let's do this." she sighed and picked him up, standing him on one of the shower benches to undress him before carefully placing him in the warm water. He seemed a little unsure at first, but was soon playing with the bubbles, poking his tongue out in disgust after eating a handful of them.

"Those are for washing, not eating." Ria laughed, running a cloth over his arms and torso, making him protest and wriggle. She was about to scold him when John stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his hips, drying his hair with another one.

The Captain cursed when he spotted his daughter and tried to slip from the room, only to have the door slammed in his face, unable to take another step. "Stop it!" he barked, shooting his daughter an angry glare, kicking the invisible wall in protest.

"What the hell is your problem?" the girl demanded angrily, causing Drago to frown up at her.

"Nothing." John hissed, still struggling to get away.

"For crying out loud!" Ria groaned and moved the field closer until her father was standing next to her. "I'm a grown woman, dad. Did you think I was going to stay abstinent for my whole life?"

"I was hoping you'd wait until I was dead." John murmured sarcastically and she rolled her eyes.

"So what? You're going to ignore me now?"

"No..." the Captain sighed, rubbing his face. "It's just...I don't..."

"What?" she asked annoyed and impatiently.

"I don't want to lose you." he finally admitted, avoiding her eyes.

"You bloody fool!" she laughed, throwing her arms around him. "As if someone could ever replace you. Tyn étin anim babbo, an amîr tyn."

"Yeah, I know." John said sheepishly, placing a kiss on top of her head. "But do you love me more than Jack?" he grinned, earning himself a slap to the head.

"Of course! Don't tell him, though." Ria laughed, standing on her toes to place a quick kiss on John's lips, much to Drago's amusement.

"What happened to him?" the Captain asked, running his eyes over the dirty child.

"Decided to dig up some hidden treasure in the hot house. And refuses to get clean." she said and as if to prove a point, the boy began to wail when she took a strand of his hair to get the knots out. "Damn it, why won't you..." the girl yelled and John quickly intervened, placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Here, let me." he smiled and nudged her aside. It took him less than fifteen minutes to get the boy clean, including the hair, without so much as a peep from Drago.

"How the hell did you do that?" Ria gaped.

"I did this on a daily basis with you, remember? _'No, daddy, I want to keep playing in the mud with my brother and tie dead bugs into my hair!'_"

"That was one time!" the girl protested. "And I'm fairly sure that those weren't my exact words." she added with a grin and tried to pick up Drago, who had decided that he liked bathing and started to kick his legs and flair his arms, soaking his mother in the process, causing her to curse and John to laugh.

"Fucking perfect." she muttered. "Can you dress him real quick?" she asked her father, handing him a set of clean clothes.

"Where did you get these?" John mused.

"Leo sent me a shitload of boxes with mine and Dall's baby stuff." she shrugged and disappeared behind the lockers. "You know, we need to get some more clothes, we can't keep wearing Ianto's stuff." she said when she walked back over to them, carrying a pile of clean clothes for herself and John.

"I like wearing his stuff." the Captain shrugged, placing the now fully dressed Drago on the floor, his hair tied up in a little ponytail to keep it from falling into his face.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." she said sadly, holding one of his shirts to her face and taking a deep breath. "He has to come back." she croaked, rubbing her eyes before slipping out of her soaked hoodie.

"He's strong, he'll make it." John tried to reassure her, but the uncertainty in his voice betrayed him.

They were pulled out of their gloom when Drago suddenly began to scream and latched himself to one of Ria's legs, crying and babbling something neither of them understood.

"What the hell?" Ria wondered, looking down at the child confused, softly stroking his head.

"Your back!" John suddenly exclaimed and winced at the sight of it. No wonder the boy had been scared.

"Shit!" the girl hissed and picked Drago up, rocking him back and forth. "Hey, it's going to be fine, solyeil. I'm all right." she tried to sooth him, but the boy was having none of that.

The child wriggled in her arms until he could pull himself up on the strap of her bra to look over her shoulder. "Ouch!" he said sadly and touched the highest of the cuts very carefully.

"Holy shit!" John whispered, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Ria had much the same reaction, watching in the mirror how the cut closed up, leaving nothing but a faint white scar.

"Better." Drago smiled happily, looking up at his mother for approval.

"You magnificent little boy!" she laughed cheerfully, holding him out in front of her, placing kisses all over his face, making him giggle and kick his legs. "Did that hurt you?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Only tired." he explained and tapped his head.

"Can you do this with anyone? Any kind of injury? Or do you need a close personal bond to that person?" she inquired, causing him to stare at her, a puzzled look on his face.

"Baby, he's three years old, use simpler sentences." John pointed out and chuckled.

"Yeah, right. Sweetheart, can you do that with your nonnôys nose?" she asked, earning herself a 'What kind of stupid question is that?' look from the child.

He held his arms out to John, who took him and settled him on his hips, shooting him an encouraging smile. Drago placed one of his tiny hands on John's nose and closed his eyes in concentration.

The adults watched in awe as the bruises faded and Ria let out a bright laugh when the slight crook disappeared, making the nose look as good as new.

"Daddy, get dressed!" she ordered, taking the child from him again. "We just found our miracle."

* * *

"Look, Jack, I'm terribly sorry, but I've tried everything. We digged through all the data, double checked all we know about this poison, but there's nothing I can..."

"Don't! Just don't, Owen!" Jack snapped angrily, tears shining in the corners of his eyes. "I won't let him die!"

"We won't have to!" Ria grinned broadly, appearing in the door with Drago and John.

"What are you talking about?" Owen demanded. "Sweetheart, you have to accept the fact that..."

"Shut it and get out of my way, zombie boy." she said with an annoyed eye roll and walked over to the med table, sitting the boy on Ianto's chest.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jack hissed, growing even more irritated when she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"Awnto!" Drago cried, patting the man's cheek. "Awnto sleep?" he asked hopefully, sensing that it was probably worse than that.

"No, solyeil, Ianto got hurt." Ria explained, placing one hand on the archivist's head. "Baby boy, can you help him? Like you helped your nonnôy and me?"

"Yes!" Drago said determined, lying down on top of Ianto, placing his ear over his heart.

"Seriously, what is going on here?" Owen groaned but was silenced by Jack, who was catching up to what was happening.

"He is a healer?" he asked, a glint of hope returning to his eyes when Ria nodded eagerly.

They turned their focus back to the child, who was humming softly, curled up on top of the Welshman, one hand still on his cheek.

"This...this isn't possible!" Owen gaped, staring at the readings his tablet was giving him. "The poison, it's...it's out of his system."

"What about the damage that it already inflicted?" the Time Lord spoke up for the first time, watching the situation with great curiosity.

"It started to heal, but it has stopped now."

"No more." Drago yawned, holding his arms out to Jack who picked him up and cradled him in his lap. The boy was asleep before his head even hit the immortal's chest.

"He is a fucking healer!" Ria yelled excitedly, turning on the spot before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Ianto's forehead.

"I can't believe it..." Jack whispered, hugging his grandson tightly and resting his chin on top of the boy's head.

"He isn't fully healed yet." the Doctor interjected, reading something on his screwdriver.

"He's right." Owen confirmed. "The poison is gone and won't be able to do anymore damage and..."

"But he'll make it?" Jack wanted to know, scared of what the answer was going to be.

"The chances have improved very much, yes. All we can do now is wait and see if he wakes up. His body was shutting down because of the poison and he's extremely weak. But knowing teaboy, he'll come back just to give us an earful for the mess we made while he was out." the Torchwood doctor chuckled before turning serious again. "Or we could, you know, use Drago again to..."

"No!" They all flinched and looked over at Ria. "Nobody is going to 'use' him, he's not a fucking tool."

"Besides, he'll need to recharge. Given his age, his powers can't have developed too far yet, it will probably take days." John piped in, much to the others surprise. "What? Shagged my fair amount of aliens, I know my way around different species." he shrugged and grinned, joining Ria by Ianto's side, carefully placing a hand over the man's heart, smiling when he felt the steady rhythm.

"So this was a one time thing? The healing thingy he did?" Owen wondered.

"It was foolish to use his powers in the first place." the Time Lord said. "He's much too young to control them, everything could have happened."

"Well, the opposite was to let Yan die and that wasn't going to happen!" Ria snapped.

"I agree. With both of you." Jack interjected, not in the mood or condition for a full blown argument. "Drago is not to be used as a healer until he is old enough to make the decision for himself. Besides, urging children this young to use their powers can lead to physical and emotional trauma. And he's my grandson, he's not going to be used like that. He's a child and he's going to have a normal childhood. As normal as it goes with Torchwood." he added with a smile, pressing a kiss into the boy's hair.

"All right then!" Owen said, clapping his hands. "Only thing to do now is wait. I suggest you all get a couple hours of sleep, you look exhausted. And don't even argue, I can see it, I'm a doctor." he added when the three future people started to protest, much to the Time Lord's amusement. "Ianto is stable, nothing is going to happen to him. Besides, I'll be right here and call you immediately if there are any changes."

"He is right, you know." the Doctor smiled and leaned closer to Jack. "I'll watch over him for you. I promise." he whispered before pressing a kiss to the immortal's forehead.

* * *

**A/N: **Please tell me what you thought of this chapters, reviews always make me happy *jumps up and down* Now, there's a lot of stuff going on at work and in school and I'm not sure if I'll be able to update every single week, but I'll try my best for you guys. Please be patient, I hate it too when real life gets in the way of my online life.

_As for the translations for this chapter:_

Tyn étin anim babbo, an amîr tyn. - You are my daddy, I love you.


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